The Lacuna

In Part 5, the scrutiny of Shepherd by the government and media intensifies. Although he tries to ignore the growing criticism and falsehoods through avoidance and escapism, the growing threat to his livelihood looms large in the background. A key theme of this part of The Lacuna is The Role of the Media in Shaping Public Perception and Creating Panic.

Throughout The Lacuna, the newspapers report baseless accusations about Shepherd and others in his orbit. In Part 3, Trotsky had explained this practice to Shepherd by paraphrasing the French writer Émile Zola, “the yellow press lies every day without hesitating. But others, like the Times, speak the truth on all inconsequential occasions, so they can deceive the public with the requisite authority when it becomes necessary” (207). The newspapers use these falsehoods to shape public perception. Part 5 opens with an example of the “yellow press,” or muckraking popular newspapers, outright lying about Shepherd by speculatively reporting that he is married to Mrs. Brown following their trip to Mexico together. This contributes to a public perception that Shepherd has an inappropriate romantic life similar to that of another Asheville author, Thomas Wolfe, who caused a scandal for marrying an older woman. 

In stirring up controversy based on dubious evidence, the fictional newspaper article “Southern Star Shines on Shepherd Romance” mirrors the real newspaper article that appears later in Part 5, “Truman is Linked by Scott to Reds” from the New York Times (581). This article reports the claims made by a Republican party chairman that Truman was once endorsed by the Daily Worker, a Communist newspaper, and therefore, Truman supports Communism. The purpose of this article and its claims is to stir up speculation about Truman’s political affiliations with Communism, a practice known as “Red-baiting.” Shepherd, likewise, is a victim of “Red-baiting,” and he begins to receive hate mail when The Associated Press reports his alleged ties with the Communist party. Following these reports, Shepherd’s life begins to fall apart. This emphasizes the media’s role in shaping public perception and inciting moral panic.

Part 5 ends with a scene of Shepherd and his lover, Tom, driving in the Great Smokey Mountains. This scene is one example of how the Chevrolet Roadster in the novel is a symbol of modern American freedom. The Roadster is a way for Shepherd to gain a modicum of independence in his otherwise and increasingly cloistered world. Shepherd relishes “opening the Roadster full throttle on the parkway, letting the curves pull us” (605). The road trip—in an American car, no less—is a quintessential American image, and Shepherd is putting himself squarely within that image. Throughout the novel, Shepherd grapples with The Struggle of Dual Nationality and the Search for Belonging, and here, he experiences autonomy while embracing an American tradition. Notably, it is also one of the few moments where Shepherd describes true intimacy with another person, Tom. Despite the landscape’s beauty and sense of exhilaration driving the Chevrolet Roadster, this is a tragic scene because it shows what Shepherd will lose by the end of the novel.