TOW #23 - The Search for Marvin Gardens - Written

This is an interesting essay from the 100 best essays of the century book, and I thought it would be nice for a change from my usual topics. This essay was written by John McPhee, an American writer who is considered to be a pioneer of creative nonfiction, which is definitely shown in this essay. The essay primarily features two people playing multiple rounds of the game Monopoly, along with descriptions of the realities in the places that are mentioned on the Monopoly board. I found it interesting because most people who play the game probably aren't thinking about the actual places that they see on their game board - they're more concerned with the actual game itself. I found the juxtaposition between the status of the game and the descriptions of many of the places to be really interesting, especially the descriptions of the jail and the people there. Throughout the essay, the game is described almost as simplistic, and hardly any attention is given to the actual locations in the parts of the essay describing gameplay. It was a pretty big contrast between the players in the game and their thoughts about the properties, to collect them for their own personal gain, as compared to the descriptions of the actual locations and the poor condition most of them are in, like with the description of St. Charles Place as being completely abandoned with barely recognizable sidewalks and vacant buildings. The essay is not about the game - it's about the reality in the country and how many of these things that are happening and real and can't be ignored. These are conditions that actually exist, and they won't just disappear. I did find the description of Monopoly as "chess at a Wall Street level" to be interesting, because it seems to be a pretty accurate summary, because there is definitely an amount of strategy involved, and it was actually an interesting analogy for actual development. The essay did seem a bit hard to follow at times, because it jumped around between different locations that were being described, and I was a bit confused as to the person who was actually seeking Marvin Gardens and why no one knew where it was. It was a unique essay, and I thought it was definitely an interesting glimpse into the actual places behind the game.