Charles Bukowski is known for being an underground author who writes about the underbelly of America, particularly Los Angeles where he was born, both in writing novels of non-fiction and poetry. Bukowski writes from a blatantly honest, and some might call it pessimistic point of view. Charles Bukowski's Ham on Rye is the embodiment of this. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Ham on Rye despite being published in the early 1980s has the spirit of the 1960s written between the lines. The '60s were about pushing boundaries and breaking social rules to strive for fun and the American dream. This is exactly what Bukowski wrote about: violence, sexual and misogynistic behavior with and without his friends. Bukowski writes about the dark sides of life, about private family affairs that according to the norms of the society of the time should be kept private; how his father beats him and how his mother just stands by and allows it every time. When the Great Depression and massive job losses occurred. In the book and when Henry's father is fired from his job, Bukowski mentions this several times in each subsequent chapter. While reading Ham on Rye in the modern 21st century you might not think this book is scandalous, but for its time, it was quite the opposite when it was published in 1982. 20th century readers would call it barbaric and out of the norm, speaking regarding such private matters and events was unheard of or frowned upon. People didn't like hearing about all the things that made them bitter. Despite the uniqueness of the book and its profound ideas, Ham on Rye is a gripping story that keeps you hooked until the end. Ham on Rye, is a semi-autobiography that covers the life of Charles Bukowski starting from his childhood to his childhood. late 1920s. The novel begins by showing Henry's highly dysfunctional family. Henry has limited access to his grandmother and almost none to his grandfather. Henry continues to get beaten by his father once a week, if not more, for things he couldn't control. Like every Saturday, Henry has to cut the lawn and if his father finds a single blade of grass sticking out they wait for him in the bathroom. Her mother witnesses all these events unfold just like a simple passerby on the street. Henry's unhappiness in his home. He and the few acquaintances he talks to at school have a very sexual view of women, including Henry. They would talk about who their favorite girl to hook up with is or how their teacher is sexually attractive. Henry also starts drinking alcohol at a young age. One day his friend Baldy takes him to his house and they head to the cellar. In Baldy's cellar his father has barrels of beer from which they both prepared to drink. After they finish drinking, Henry says "well, now I've found something, I've found something that'll help me, for a long time to come" (Bukowski 22). Henry has only had a drink once and is already talking about how alcohol will play a big role in his life. One of the main themes is recurring, the dark side of life. Bukowski writes without filters. Bukowski describes his father's beatings in great detail, how each time he was hit, the view of the surrounding bathroom from his eyes became harder and harder to see and once the beating was over, it took Henry a while to get his bearings again . One of Bukowski's themes is the lack of moral values. An incident occurs where Henry's friend Chuck wants to kill an innocent cat with his dog Barney. After the cat fends off one of the dog's attacks, Henry tries to scold his friends without it.