the search for marvin gardens thesis

McPhee’s Essay of “The Search for Marvin Gardens” Analysis

McPhee’s essay The Search for Marvin Gardens has a unique structure as it is divided into parts that describe the Monopoly game and the real world. The author alternates these themes making a reader unconsciously connect them and seek similarities in how the game is built and how life in the United States was structured. This structure is chosen to emphasize that while businesses buy hotels, railroads and generate millions of dollars, problems of the citizens, such as poverty, segregation, and crime still unsolved. Moreover, the first-person narration makes readers feel they participate in all the vividly described struggles, such as the scenes in the jail.

The “Quick Kill” is a Monopoly’s method to speed up the game by setting limits, removing the jail option, or make conditions where the players must spend more money quickly. McPhee mentions this strategy while initially describing the opponent’s manner of playing and then calls the people who invested in Atlantic City’s railroads and other infrastructure development “the masters of a quick kill.” As readers perceive the term through the Monopoly’s rules, they understand that the author considers the city’s establishment an approach to earning quickly regardless of the consequences. After “Quick Kill” is integrated into both sections, the essay’s structure becomes more understandable and reasonable.

Marvin Gardens is a destination in Monopoly and real Atlantic City as an outer suburb, and McPhee describes it as a better area. Seeking for it in the game means gaining additional property with no harm, and in real life, finding it means going out of the city’s despair. Marvin Gardens links the two sections to signify a way out of the endless attempts to get richer and escape real-life struggles.

In the Atlantic City, McPhee is searching for Marvin Gardens and asks people who he thought might know the directions. The author describes the despair conditions of the area by mentioning unemployment, people in dirty clothes, and how they spend their days. Indeed, McPhee asks a postman drinking beer in the morning and a poorly worn woman about the Gardens, and none knows where it is. The author even asks the bronze statue of Monopoly’s inventor, C. B. Darrow, and receives no answer. Poor people do not know the location, and the memorial keeps silent because Marvin Gardens is a place out of Atlantic City’s environment.

McPhee’s essay implies how Monopoly is dangerously similar to the real-life, and the business operations of the rich severely affect the others. The parts about the game have nothing about the citizens’ conditions, yet the reality parts are full of individuals’ struggles and experiences. The author argues that both ordinary people and businessmen refuse to seek the Marvin Gardens. Instead, they lose lives in dealing with struggles or getting as much profit as possible.

Finding Marvin Gardens is a logical ending of McPhee’s essay because it reveals that peace and happiness are lost in the Monopoly-like reality system. The author discloses that the Gardens is a wealthy, peaceful area outside the Atlantic City in the game and life. Reaching there is almost impossible for the average citizen or a businessman busy selling and earning, therefore they do not know the directions. It was difficult for McPhee to find Marvin Gardens because he was trapped inside the game’s rules and life’s struggles. The motive of seeking a particular place in Monopoly where the steps depend on the regulations and points addresses how modern society loses the intention to pursue true happiness.

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THE SEARCH FOR MARVIN GARDENS

By John McPhee

The New Yorker , September 9, 1972 P. 45

A REPORTER AT LARGE about the game of Monopoly and the city in which it is set, Atlantic City, N. J. Atlantic City was designed in 1852 by an immigrant Englishman, R.B. Osborne, a civil engineer who was surveying the area for a railroad line. He designed a "bathing village" that would surround the eastern terminus of the line. The game was invented in the 1930's by Charles B. Darrow, a radiator repairman from Germantown, Pa. He transliterated the names of the actual streets to his board. Writer tells of a best of 7 game championship. Talks about opening moves as in chess and breaks up coverage of the games with information about the real Atlantic City. The old luxury hotels are gone, the Brighton, and there is a 23-story Holiday Inn on the Boardwalk now. Colonel Sanders' Fried Chicken is on Kentucky Ave. So is Clifton's Club Harlem with the Sepia Revue and Sepia Follies. Men were required to wear full-length bathing suits by law until 1940. The bulk of the city is a ghetto. It looks bombed but nothing has actually exploded; it is deep and complex decay. Tells about the prisons and the search for Marvin Gardens, the one color-block Monopoly property that is not in Atlantic City. It is a secluded suburb within a suburb in Margate, N. J. It was built around 1920. It is the citadel and sanctuary of the middle class.

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The Search for Marvin Gardens Essay Summary By John McPhee

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“The Search for Marvin Gardens” is a novel written by American author John McPhee . Published in 1972, it is a part of McPhee’s larger work called “A Sense of Where You Are,” which focuses on the game of basketball. “The Search for Marvin Gardens” itself is a separate, self-contained narrative that explores themes of identity, environment, and the American dream.

The Search for Marvin Gardens Essay By John McPhee- The novel follows two distinct but interconnected storylines. The first storyline revolves around a game of Monopoly, the popular board game, and uses it as a metaphor for the pursuit of success and the American dream. The protagonist, a middle-aged man named David, is playing a solo game of Monopoly as he walks along the Atlantic City boardwalk in New Jersey.

The Search for Marvin Gardens Essay By John McPhee- The second storyline features a young man named Marvin Gardens (a reference to one of the properties in Monopoly) who embarks on a cross-country journey. Marvin is searching for a place called Marvin Gardens, which he believes to be a real location and not just a property on the Monopoly board. His search for Marvin Gardens becomes a quest for authenticity and meaning in an increasingly artificial and manufactured world.

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The Search for Marvin Gardens Essay By John McPhee- As the narrative unfolds, the novel explores the contrast between the urban landscape of Atlantic City and the natural world. David’s introspective thoughts and observations about the environment highlight the conflict between human progress and the preservation of nature.

Through the interplay of these two storylines, McPhee examines the concept of identity and the quest for self-discovery. The characters’ search for Marvin Gardens serves as a metaphorical journey to find one’s place in the world and to understand the complex relationship between personal aspirations and societal expectations.

The Search for Marvin Gardens Essay By John McPhee- “The Search for Marvin Gardens” offers a thought-provoking exploration of American culture, the impact of urbanization on the environment, and the pursuit of personal fulfillment. It invites readers to reflect on their own aspirations, the nature of success, and the significance of the places we inhabit.

About John McPhee

The Search for Marvin Gardens Essay By John McPhee- John McPhee is a highly regarded American author and journalist known for his meticulous research, richly detailed narratives, and insightful observations on a wide range of topics. Born on March 8, 1931, in Princeton, New Jersey, McPhee has spent his career capturing the essence of people, places, and ideas through his engaging prose and distinctive writing style. With over 50 years of writing experience, McPhee has made a significant impact on the field of creative nonfiction and has garnered numerous awards and accolades for his work.

The Search for Marvin Gardens Essay By John McPhee- Raised in Princeton, McPhee attended Princeton High School before enrolling at Princeton University. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1953 and later earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in nonfiction writing from the same institution in 1957. McPhee’s time at Princeton University would have a profound influence on his writing career, as he became immersed in the art of storytelling and developed a passion for capturing the essence of the world around him.

The Search for Marvin Gardens Essay By John McPhee- After completing his studies, McPhee began his writing career as a sports reporter for Time magazine. His early experiences in journalism helped shape his ability to gather information, conduct interviews, and distill complex subjects into engaging narratives. This foundation would become the hallmark of his writing style throughout his career.

McPhee’s work covers a vast array of subjects, ranging from geology and nature to sports and transportation. He has written extensively about his experiences with geologists, river rafters, farmers, and experts in various fields. His writing is characterized by its depth of research and his ability to weave together multiple storylines, presenting a comprehensive and compelling view of his subjects.

The Search for Marvin Gardens Essay By John McPhee- One of McPhee’s most notable works is “Coming into the Country” (1977), which explores the vast and remote wilderness of Alaska. In this book, McPhee delves into the lives and experiences of the people living in Alaska, capturing their resilience, connection to the land, and the challenges they face. His vivid descriptions and immersive storytelling transport readers to the rugged landscapes of Alaska, allowing them to gain a deeper understanding of the region and its inhabitants.

The Search for Marvin Gardens Essay By John McPhee- Another significant work by McPhee is “Annals of the Former World” (1998), a compilation of his writings on geology. This extensive volume, which consists of four separate books (“Basin and Range,” “In Suspect Terrain,” “Rising from the Plains,” and “Assembling California”), showcases McPhee’s deep fascination with geology and his ability to convey complex scientific concepts in an accessible and engaging manner. Through his travels with geologists across the United States, McPhee paints a vivid picture of the Earth’s geological history and the processes that have shaped our planet.

In addition to his books, McPhee has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1965, contributing numerous articles and essays over the years. His writing for the magazine covers a wide range of topics, from profiles of individuals to explorations of environmental issues. McPhee’s articles often showcase his exceptional ability to combine extensive research with compelling storytelling, offering readers a deeper understanding of the subjects he covers.

The Search for Marvin Gardens Essay By John McPhee- Throughout his career, McPhee has received widespread acclaim for his contributions to literature and journalism. He has been awarded numerous honors, including the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1999 for “Annals of the Former World.” McPhee’s writing has also earned him a loyal following of readers who appreciate his meticulous research, engaging narratives, and the depth of his knowledge on a wide range of subjects.

In his writing, John McPhee demonstrates a relentless curiosity and a deep respect for the people, places, and ideas he encounters. His ability to immerse himself in his subjects and convey their stories with clarity.

“The Search for Marvin Gardens” is a novel that delves into the themes of identity, environment, and the American dream. Through the use of a Monopoly game as a metaphor and the parallel storylines of David’s solo game and Marvin’s quest for a real place called Marvin Gardens, the novel explores the pursuit of success and authenticity in an increasingly artificial world.

The Search for Marvin Gardens Essay By John McPhee- The novel raises questions about the nature of personal fulfillment and the conflict between human progress and the preservation of nature. It prompts readers to reflect on their own aspirations and the significance of the places they inhabit. By examining the interplay between urban landscapes and the natural world, “The Search for Marvin Gardens” encourages readers to consider the impact of human actions on the environment and the importance of finding balance.

The Search for Marvin Gardens Essay By John McPhee- Overall, John McPhee’s novel offers a thought-provoking exploration of American culture and the complexities of the human experience. It challenges readers to question societal expectations and to embark on their own journeys of self-discovery and authenticity.

Q: Who is the author of “The Search for Marvin Gardens”? 

A: The author of “The Search for Marvin Gardens” is John McPhee.

Q: When was “The Search for Marvin Gardens” published? 

A: The novel was published in 1972.

Q: Is “The Search for Marvin Gardens” part of a larger work?

 A: Yes, “The Search for Marvin Gardens” is a separate, self-contained narrative that is part of John McPhee’s larger work called “A Sense of Where You Are.” However, “A Sense of Where You Are” primarily focuses on the game of basketball, while “The Search for Marvin Gardens” explores different themes.

Q: What are the main themes explored in “The Search for Marvin Gardens”? 

A: The main themes in the novel include identity, environment, the American dream, personal fulfillment, the impact of urbanization on nature, and the pursuit of authenticity.

Q: What is the significance of the Monopoly game in the novel? 

A: The Monopoly game is used as a metaphor for the pursuit of success and the American dream. It represents the desire to acquire wealth and property, which is paralleled in the characters’ quests for personal fulfillment and the search for a real place called Marvin Gardens.

Q: Does “The Search for Marvin Gardens” discuss the impact of human actions on the environment? 

A: Yes, the novel examines the conflict between urban development and the preservation of nature. It explores the contrast between the urban landscape of Atlantic City and the natural world, raising questions about the environmental consequences of human progress.

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Rhetorical Analysis of McPhee’s “In Search of Marvin Gardens”

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A classic of tennis writing

J ohn McPhee was born in 1931 in Princeton, his father a sports physician at the university; he was a student there too, submitting a novel called Skimmer Burns for his senior thesis. He continued to write fiction and scripts on graduation, and worked as a reporter for Time. After his 17,000-word profile of basketball-player Bill Bradley was published in the New Yorker in 1965, editor William Shawn invited him to join the magazine as a staff writer. Ensconced at the New Yorker, in an idyllic-sounding relationship with venerable New York publishing house Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and at Princeton, where he began teaching a course on non-fiction writing in 1975, McPhee had a solid base from which to roam.

He has written more than 30 books. His work returns to beloved seams – sport, natural history, geology, landscape – even as it ranges from the Alaskan wilderness to the New Jersey pine woods and the Hebridean island of Colonsay, and incorporates portraits of prep-school headmaster Frank Boyden, Wimbledon groundsman Robert Twynam, environmentalist David Brewer, zoologist Carol Ruckdeschel, art collector Norton Townshend Dodge and theoretical physicist (and designer of atomic bombs) Theodore Taylor , as well as richly peopled discursions on freight transportation, shad fishing, birch-bark canoes, and the natural and cultural history of oranges, not to mention a four-volume survey of the geology of North America collected as Annals of the Former World , which won the Pulitzer prize in 1999.

More striking even than this wide-ranging curiosity, and the diligence of his reportorial attention, is McPhee's creative engagement with literary form. "His principle," New Yorker editor, David Remnick has written, "is that non-fiction can, and should, borrow the varied structures of fiction, but not its licence." McPhee traces this interest in structure to his English teacher Olive McKee, who required her students to submit three compositions every week. This could be a poem or story, but each piece had to be accompanied by a diagram that showed the structure – "Anything," McPhee writes, "from Roman numerals I, II III to a looping doodle with guiding arrows and stick figures. The idea was to build some form of blueprint before working it out in sentences and paragraphs." McKee's emphasis on the shape of the thing never left him.

So Oranges maps its encounters with Florida orange-growers and its marvellous swags of orange lore to the life cycle of a citrus fruit. In Coming Into the Country , flashbacks create a circular structure congruent to the natural "cycles spinning around" in Alaska. "A Roomful of Hovings " , McPhee's profile of art curator Thomas Hoving , is made up of 11 separate portraits, each focused on another aspect of Hoving's life and career, the reader moving through a gallery hung with views of Hoving even as Hoving himself leads McPhee through the galleries of the Metropolitan Museum. "The Search for Marvin Gardens" is a portrait of Atlantic City, but the blueprint is a game of Monopoly: when McPhee moves his token to Vermont Avenue on the Monopoly board, the story cuts to the real-world Vermont Avenue, teeming with dogs and sparkling with shattered glass. In each case, McPhee has found what he calls an "organising principle" – a device both for holding together a mass of observation, direct speech, research and commentary, and for drawing the reader through it, as plot may draw readers through a novel. In a recent New Yorker essay on structure, McPhee states his case: "A compelling structure in non-fiction can have an attracting effect analogous to a story line in fiction."

In Levels of the Game , the organising principle is a tennis match: the 1968 US Open semi-final between Arthur Ashe and Clark Graebner at Forest Hills, New York . McPhee has said that at the time he was on the lookout for a pair of subjects for a double profile – an architect and client, maybe, or a dancer and choreographer. Then he saw the Ashe-Graebner match on television and knew that his search was over. (He was lucky – he called CBS to ask for a copy of the tape on the day it was scheduled for erasure.) So the book is, on the one hand, a piece of sportswriting: four sets of tennis, played under fierce sunlight in front of 14,000 spectators, vivid with zoom-lens detail – the way Ashe points at the ball as he prepares for a smash, or Graebner "pulls his racquet across and then away from the ball as if he had touched something hot". We eavesdrop on shifts of momentum and advantage, slowing down to inhabit pivotal moments, such as the sixth game of the second set when Ashe tries to break Graebner, or the fulcrum in the third when 186 points have been played in the match and each player has won 93.

At the same time, the book is a double portrait of its two protagonists, complete with backstories and long speeches drawn from interviews, in the tradition of the profile as originated at the New Yorker under editor Harold Ross and developed by writers such as Alva Johnston and especially Joseph Mitchell , who published his last story in the magazine the same year McPhee published his first, and whose kinship is visible not just in their shared initials but in the steady accumulation of short, declarative sentences ("He glowers at his wife. He mutters at other people in the crowd. Airplanes drive him crazy. Bad bounces are personal affronts. He glares at linesmen …") and of paragraphs, garrulous with soliloquy, that blithely mission-creep across two or three pages. We learn about Graebner's and Ashe's day jobs as printing-paper salesman and army officer, and visit Arthur Ashe Sr in his house in Gum Spring, Virginia, the head of an eight-point stag and a copy of Psalm 23 hanging on the wall, and Graebner's parents at home on Wimbledon Road in Beachwood, Ohio, where the houses are "lined up in propinquous ranks like yachts at a pier". Meanwhile, McPhee weaves in secondary characters and voices, such as Ashe's first tennis teacher Ronald Charity, and linesman Frank "Santa Claus" Hammond with his "photoelectric eyes", and tennis player Charlie Pasarell from Puerto Rico, friend to both Ashe and Graebner, and Robert Walter Johnson, a doctor from Lynchburg, Virginia, who coached and encouraged black teenagers through the 1950s, his ambition "to develop a young black tennis player who would play at Charlottesville and go away as the national interscholastic champion".

While McPhee braids these various strands together, his choice of protagonists gives the story a mythic amplitude. Both Ashe and Graebner were born in 1943, and both are tennis players. But Ashe is black, Graebner white. Ashe is lithe, springy, "a trim arrangement of sinews", while Graebner's physique could be "an ad for a correspondence course in muscle development". Graebner is a Republican, with a signed photograph of Richard Nixon on his desk at home; Ashe is a Democrat who, Graebner says, even plays tennis "with the lackadaisical, haphazard mannerisms of a liberal". Ashe hates "orderliness"; Graebner's New York apartment is "orderly". This is an encounter of archetypes as well as individuals. McPhee might have borrowed the subtitle Edmund Gosse gave his own groundbreaking work of creative non-fiction Father and Son in 1907: "A study of two temperaments."

Page by page, the allegorical resonance builds. McPhee traces Ashe's descendants back to the arrival in America of a ship called the Doddington in 1735 with a cargo of 167 slaves from West Africa. The books on Ashe's shelves include The Autobiography of Malcolm X , Black Power , The Confessions of Nat Turner and a copy of the report of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders . McPhee doesn't mention it – he doesn't need to – but the 1968 Ashe-Graebner semi-final takes place on 16 September; Martin Luther King had been killed several months before. The social and political changes associated with the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 60s press in on the book from all sides. When Ashe, speaking about how much he likes to visit Spain, says, "It's a great feeling to get away from all this crap in the United States", the Detroit riots and the violent confrontations at Orangeburg and other campuses rage in the margins. Robert Johnson's tennis players breaking into the interscholastic championships at Charlottesville are analogous to the admission of black Americans into universities and police forces. "We are going into a new world," Johnson tells his young athletes. He doesn't just mean tennis.

Perhaps it's harsh on Graebner that he has to represent a reactionary white establishment in this allegorical scheme. McPhee notes "the pure Teutonic pleasure" that Graebner takes in his forehand, and describes this powerful stroke as "Wagnerian". Later, he mentions that some people call Graebner "Herr Graebner, for he has the posture and the presence of a first lieutenant in the Wehrmacht". And later still, when McPhee writes that there is "something Germanic" about Graebner, we might think that this characterisation of the black man's adversary as Aryan übermensch has been laid on a little too thickly. But the respect and fellow feeling with which Graebner and Ashe speak of one another ring in the space cleared by such extremity of contrast. Ashe is quick to defend Graebner from accusations that his strutting gait implies arrogance, knowing that childhood osteochondrosis has made it almost impossible for Graebner to bend at the waist, so that, as McPhee observes, "when he brushes his teeth in the morning, he places his feet apart and leans like an A-frame against the mirror".

McPhee's style rests on images like that, the golden detail rescued in unfussy language, although sometimes he'll land an unexpected, even eccentric word choice – the "histrionisms" of Dr Graebner's dentist patter – like a drop-shot or slice. But the simplicity of his sentences is deceptive. McPhee attends to what he calls "the aural part of writing" – the way it sounds, the tempo and cadence. Look at, or listen to, this beginning:

"Arthur Ashe, his feet apart, his knees slightly bent, lifts a tennis ball into the air. The toss is high and forward. If the ball were allowed to drop, it would, in Ashe's words, 'make a parabola and drop to the grass three feet in front of the baseline'. He has practised tossing a tennis ball just so thousands of times. But he is going to hit this one. His feet draw together. His body straightens and tilts forward far beyond the point of balance. He is falling. The force of gravity and a muscular momentum from legs to arm compound as he whips his racquet up and over the ball. He weighs a hundred and fifty-five pounds; he is six feet tall, and right-handed. His build is barely full enough not to be describable as frail, but his coordination is so extraordinary that the ball comes off his racquet at furious speed. With a step forward that stops his fall, he moves to follow."

It's not just the way the short sentences create a frame-by-frame slow-motion effect. It's the way the word "lifts" in the first sentence lifts into the paragraph an f sound which then follows its own parabola like a thrown ball through feet, forward, falling, force, fifty-five, full, frail, furious, forward, fall and follow. Subject and medium step out on to the floor like dancers.

Tenses are another subtle source of power. McPhee uses the past tense for history and backstory, present tense for the match and for the comments and reactions of those watching it. When, after an account of Johnson's first meeting with Ashe ("he wondered if the child had been a victim of rickets, he was so bony and frail"), McPhee cuts back to the semi-final at Forest Hills, the reversion to the present tense is an electric quickening. Sometimes these transitions are bold and imaginative, as when McPhee shows us two of Johnson's trophy-winning students watching television, and the match they're watching is Ashe v Graebner at Forest Hills, and suddenly we're back in the game, spirited via a wormhole, Graebner serving an ace that splits the court.

This short book, in other words, is an adventure in form and a batch of pleasures caught on the fly: the Heath Robinsonian contraption called the Tom Stow Stroke Developer that Johnson keeps in his garage; the way when Arthur Ashe Sr makes a comment "he seems to be promulgating a law of the universe"; the prominent calluses on Graebner's hand that act as "an oarlock for his racquet handle"; the eerie consequence of these players' big-serving power game (they hit the ball 821 times in the match, which McPhee compares to an average of 2,400) being long silences between points, then "sudden detonations quickly over, sporadic fire on a quiet front". At the close, the two athletes' differences begin to dissolve. They would rather win the Davis Cup together than win at Forest Hills as individuals. Here come Arthur Ashe and Clark Graebner – counterpoints, rivals, friends, opposites and equals, human beings moving in sunlight, across grass.

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Semiotics: “The Search for Marvin Gardens”

“The Search for Marvin Gardens” by John McPhee uses a non-linear narrative to parallel the rises and falls of the actual Atlantic City where Monopoly was based on and the Monopoly game the main character is currently playing. Throughout the short story, the main character takes us through the journey of his competitive Monopoly game against his opponent, while describing the past glory to present poverty-stricken Atlantic City. All the while, he searches in the game and life for Marvin Gardens. Using the Semiotics reading theory, I interpreted the theme of this story as the search for improvement. As I describe some of the symbolism in the story, I’ll talk about how McPhee uses the concept of “searching for Marvin Gardens” as his idea of “searching” for improvement of society.

Throughout the story, McPhee compares Monopoly to life itself as he parallels his peak in the game and Atlantic City at its peak and prime in the 1930’s. Then trailing to his opponent’s quick comeback, leading to the character’s ultimate demise in the championship and the desolation and destruction left from the once prosperous Atlantic City. On page 19, when the character changed his stance from “the game is in the bag” to almost immediate defeat, he desperately prays for the one square he needs. “I need Marvin Gardens. My only hope is Marvin Gardens”(McPhee, 19). Its the only was he can beat his opponent and how he viewed his search for the real Marvin Gardens. The entire story went on and on about how nobody knew where the hidden place was and how his search led to his discovery that “Marvin Gardens is the one color-block Monopoly property that is not in Atlantic City” (McPhee, 20).

Using Semiotics, I believe that he uses the concept of Marvin Gardens as his ideal society. The “Marvin Gardens of society” must be found by people on their own, in their personal journey towards improving society. At the end of the story, the character asks the statue of Charles B. Darrow, the inventor of Monopoly, “Where is Marvin Gardens?”…. Bronze, impassive, Darrow looks south down the Boardwalk. “Mr. Darrow, please, where is Marvin Gardens?” Nothing. Not a sign. He just looks south down the Boardwalk”(McPhee, 19).   The character at a loss for the needed place, looks at the statue of Darrow, asking for help, to find what he wishes for. But nobody helps him, and he can only follow what he perceives as a sign by going south, down the Boardwalk.

“Marvin Gardens, the ultimate outwash of Monopoly, is a citadel and sanctuary of the middle class” (McPhee, 20). Through the broken streets of Atlantic City, the main character finds himself at ease in his own “Marvin Gardens”, as he is comfortable with his lifestyle, even in the police patrolled neighborhood he resides in. Although reaching towards improvement is challenging to achieve, like the game, the character finds himself in a world he’s comfortable in. If people want their own “Marvin Gardens”, then they must look for it themselves in order to discover what they hope for in their ideal society, similar to our main character’s journey in his search for it.

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Published by Desiree Maurino

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One thought on “ Semiotics: “The Search for Marvin Gardens” ”

Good reading of McPhee’s “search” for the utopia that is promised in Marvin Gardens. What more can you say about the search? Yes, Marvin Gardens stands in more an upper middle class, a more “comfortable” way of living that stands as a contrast to McPhee’s description of the streets of Atlantic City. But what do you think are the implications of the search? Who can reach Marvin Gardens? Is it accessible to all? What limitations are there? Why is the location of Marvin Gardens unknown to so many people in Atlantic City? Try to discover the social implications that are embedded in the “search” and how the notion of “searching” changes throughout the text. This post is on the right track!

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A Line from Linda

"History is a gallery of pictures in which there are few originals and many copies." (Alexis de Tocqueville)

Sheila Wray Gregoire

• Sheila Wray Gregoire's Website

Thursday 11 June 2015

John mcphee's "the search for marvin gardens".

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Alison Jaenicke’s essay “The Search for a Different Marvin Gardens” appears in the most recent issue of Appalachian Review (Summer 2021).

The essay responds to the local police killing of Osaze Osagie in March 2019, the emergence of the 3/20 Coalition in the aftermath of his death, and the national struggle for racial justice.

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The Search for Marvin Gardens

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• Appalachian Review

The Search for a Different Marvin Gardens

• Alison Condie Jaenicke
• The University of North Carolina Press
• Volume 49, Number 3, Summer 2021
• 10.1353/aph.2021.0040
• View Citation

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