The Myth of the Fall and Walker Percys Last Gentleman (American University Studies Series Xxiv, American Literature)
by Bernadette Prochaska
Category: Literary Criticism

Williston Bibb Barrett experiences a sense that something is wrong in the world and in his life. The evidence in the novels of Walker Percy which deal with the life of Will Barrett, "The Last Gentleman" and "The Second Coming," points to the presence of the Myth of the Fall. Experiencing imbalance and indirection, Will Barrett is the fallen man in a fallen world. However, the cycle of falling and rising resonates with joy and grace as the protagonist journeys toward salvation.