Ex-Basketball Player
The poem “Ex-Basketball Player,” written by John Updike, was clearly intended to make any reader think differently about his/her future. The poem is centered on a man, Flick Webb, who was formerly a high school basketball star and now works as a gas station attendant. The first stanza describes a road called Pearl Avenue which runs past the high school, and also parallels Flick’s life. Updike reveals this particular idea in the line: “Bends with the trolley tracks, and stops, cut off / Before it has a chance to go two blocks” (2-3). Here, the speaker appears to be illustrating Pearl Avenue, but in digging deeper, the reader can see he is also speaking of Flick. Before Flick was able to live his apparent dream of basketball stardom, his successes were cut short, and he never made it any farther than a gas station down the street. Clearly, the speaker has a reminiscent tone throughout the poem and speaks of Flick with some affection, but more or less pity: “He never learned a trade, he just sells gas” (19). This statement devalues what Flick’s life has become. However, the speaker does make note that others of Flick’s graduating class do remember what he once was in saying: “As a gag, he dribbles an i
First, Updike uses the pumps as symbolic basketball players. He uses the word “idiot” for a reason: Flick did not make the best choices regarding his future by never having any ambitions beyond high school. Flick stands out among the pumps, however, much like he stood out amongst the other players on his basketball team in high school. He is taller than the pumps, and five pumps on each side resembles the set-up of players in a basketball game. The pump on the end, which is affectionately referred to as “more of a football type” seems diminished, like Flick. Flick’s story teaches an important lesson, and he most likely would live differently if he had the chance. Flick is not satisfied with his life. He shows us this throughout the poem by dribbling inner tubes, playing pinball in the luncheonette, and looking toward juju beads for applause. The speaker is trying to convey the fact to us that Flick’s life is not what he would have liked. If Flick had taken his basketball successes in stride and continued to pursue other important aspects of his life, he would not have ended up working at a gas station. An important message awaits in this poem, especially for anyone engulfed in his/her own temporary success: Look to your future and gently let the past go, because if you don’t, you’ll end up as less than you’d hoped. nner tube / But most of us remember anyway” (21-22). Flick dribbling an inner tube is probably not a gag to him, however. It may appear this way, but he seems to be daydreaming about his former self, longing for what might have been. His classmates may remember his agility on the basketbal
Some topics in this essay:
Updike Flick,
Flick Flick,
Flick Flick’s,
Pearl Avenue,
Flick Webb,
John Updike,
,
lug wrench,
gas station,
flick’s life,
JuJu Beads”,
difference lug wrench,
flick basketball,
flick stands,
inner tube,
throughout poem,
players basketball,
“ex-basketball player”,
difference lug,
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Approximate Word count = 1115
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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