Mad Men Book Club -- The Last Picture Show

It's our last book for Mad Men book club, since this coming Sunday is the final episode of the show. All of these books were chosen for their association with women in Don's life; this one, The Last Picture Show, is seen with Sylvia, the married woman from Don's building with whom Don has an affair while he is still married to Megan. Let's look at The Last Picture Show in context:

In Mad Men:

Sylvia reads The Last Picture Show while spending the day in a hotel, waiting for Don (at his instructions). Don makes her wait all day -- long enough for her to read through this novel more than once. The novel itself is fitting, as its central storyline concerns an affair between the protagonist, Sonny, and the wife of his football coach. The hold Sonny has over Mrs. Popper is similar to Don's hold over Sylvia during their affair. The difference is that Mrs. Popper remains in a state of sad resignation and dependence on Sonny; Sylvia is able to break things off with Don by the end of the episode.

The novel's coming-of-age tale of teens in a country town has some elements of Don's back-story, too, especially as it concerns his shady sexual education.

In the 1960s:

As you can see from the trailer from the 1971 film based on the book, The Last Picture Show was, for many, a story about the end of an American era -- the transition from the fifties to the sixties and the innocence lost in the process. The trailer pretty much says it all:

Today:

This coming-of-age-tale is mostly about sexual frustration and experimentation, and the way it presents those themes will likely shock current readers, though anyone who grew up in a tiny, conservative town will not be surprised at the themes (there wasn't much for a teenager to do in a small town before the internet.) Of course, like all coming-of-age-stories, this one is also about letting go of childhood, learning to take responsibility for one's actions, and facing the realities of adult life. That all of this growing up happens against the backdrop of a rapidly changing world only enhances the themes that are already present.

Well, that's it for Mad Men Book Club. Here are all the books in the series:

The Group
Ship of Fools
Meditations in an Emergency
The Best of Everything