Independence Day by Richard Ford
"Independence Day" by Richard Ford is a sequel to his previous novel "The Sportswriter," presenting a deep exploration of the life of Frank Bascombe, a relatable suburban protagonist. Set against the backdrop of a New Jersey suburb, the narrative delves into themes of identity, occupation, and relationships as they shape American manhood, particularly in the context of the late twentieth century. Frank, who has transitioned from aspiring novelist and sportswriter to a realtor, grapples with the complexities of his post-divorce life, including his feelings for his ex-wife and his role as a father.
The story unfolds during a pivotal Fourth of July weekend, where Frank embarks on a journey with his troubled son, Paul, marking a critical opportunity to reestablish their bond. Despite his professional identity as a realtor giving him a sense of purpose, Frank's personal life remains fraught with loneliness and unresolved emotions. The novel ultimately presents a hopeful narrative of seeking independence through connection, suggesting that for Frank, true independence may come from fostering meaningful relationships with his children and girlfriend. "Independence Day" invites reflection on the nature of fulfillment and the quest for identity amidst personal challenges.
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Subject Terms
Independence Day by Richard Ford
First published: 1995
The Work
Independence Day is the sequel to the widely admired The Sportswriter (1986) and is a highly acclaimed example of contemporary realistic fiction. In returning to the life of Frank Bascombe, a sort of suburban Everyman, some years after the events chronicled in The Sportswriter, Richard Ford (as has John Updike in a similar series of novels) further explores the ways in which occupation, environment, and relationships define American men to others and to themselves. Independence Day is an ultimately hopeful depiction of the search for meaning and identity at the end of the twentieth century.
After his careers as budding novelist and as sportswriter prove, respectively, impossible to consummate or insufficient to give his life meaning, Frank Bascombe becomes a realtor in the New Jersey suburb of Haddam (modeled after Princeton, where Ford once taught), scene of the action in both novels. He still loves his former wife Ann, who has remarried and carried their children away to Connecticut (he has purchased and moved into their old home in a vain attempt to maintain his former roles), making it necessary to finally acknowledge the end of his marriage and his identity as a former husband. The divorce complicates his identity as father so considerably that there are times he considers giving it up entirely. The novel is built around Bascombe’s Fourth of July weekend journey with his troubled adolescent son Paul, a trip that begins to seem like his last opportunity to make a difference in his son’s life and thus to reclaim his role as father.
As in The Sportswriter, however, Frank Bascombe is most clearly defined by his occupation. Bascombe finds something worthwhile about selling people homes. He considers himself to be a useful member of society, to be of service, which is his new way of trying to make a worthwhile identity for himself. His assumed role as solid businessman and community booster lacks closure, however—he has, for example, shown dozens of houses to one troublesome couple in the novel without success—and in any case, selling homes to others does not make him any less alone in the home he occupies.
As the title of the novel suggests, Frank Bascombe finally faces head-on his problems in an effort to gain some independence from them, and Independence Day ends on a note of hope. Ironically, Frank’s independence may finally come by allowing himself to forge strong connections to others—especially his children and his girlfriend Sally. In the future, Frank Bascombe may again define himself as husband, father, and friend if he carries through on the convictions working in him as the novel ends.
Bibliography
The Christian Science Monitor. July 3, 1995, p. 13. A review of Independence Day.
Commonweal. CXXII, October 6, 1995, p. 27. A review of Independence Day.
The Detroit Free Press. July 2, 1995, p. 5H. A review of Independence Day.
Ford, Richard. “The Art of Fiction CXLVII.” Paris Review 38, no. 140 (Fall, 1996). Lengthy interview in which Ford discusses the craft of writing and offers personal observations on all of his work.
Gray, Paul. “Return of the Sportswriter.” Time, June 19, 1995, 60.
Hardwick, Elizabeth. “Reckless People.” The New York Review of Books 42, no. 13 (August 10, 1995). Review essay of Independence Day that discusses Ford’s use of the first-person narrative in the context of his other fiction.
Hobson, Fred. The Southern Writer in the Postmodern World. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1991. Contains the chapter “Richard Ford and Josephine Humphreys: Walker Percy in New Jersey and Charleston,” which provides a basic overview of Ford’s fiction.
Lee, Don. “About Richard Ford.” Ploughshares 22, no. 2-3 (Fall, 1996). Excellent overview of Ford’s work, written shortly after the publication of Independence Day.
London Review of Books. XVI, August 24, 1995, p. 23. A review of Independence Day.
Los Angeles Times Book Review. July 2, 1995, p. 1. A review of Independence Day.
The New York Times Book Review. C, June 18, 1995, p. 1. A review of Independence Day.
Newsweek. CXXV, June 12, 1995, p. 64. A review of Independence Day.
Publishers Weekly. CCXLII, April 24, 1995, p. 59. A review of Independence Day.
Schroth, Raymond A. “America’s Moral Landscape in the Fiction of Richard Ford.” Christian Century 106, no. 7 (March 1, 1989). A study of Ford’s writing as a commentary on contemporary American experience.
The Wall Street Journal. June 16, 1995, p. A12. A review of Independence Day.