Charles Bukowski is known as an underground author writing about the underbelly of America, particularly in Los Angeles where he was born, both in writing non-fiction novels and poetry. Bukowski writes blatantly, honestly and some might call this pessimistic. Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski is an incarnation of this. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Ham on Rye, although published in the early 80s, has the spirit of the 60s written between the lines. The 1960s were marked by pushing boundaries and breaking societal rules in pursuit of pleasure and the American dream. This is exactly what Bukowski talked about: the violence, sexual and misogynistic behavior he committed with and without his friends. Bukowski writes about the dark sides of life, private family matters which, according to the norms of society of the time, should remain private; how his father beats him and how his mother looks at him every time. When the Great Depression and massive job losses occurred. In the book and when Henry's father is fired, Bukowski mentions him several times in each subsequent chapter. Although reading Ham on Rye in the modern 21st century you might not think this book was scandalous, but for its time it was quite the opposite when it was published in 1982. Readers of the 20th century would call this barbaric and outside the norm, speaking out on such private issues and events was unknown or frowned upon. People didn't like to hear about all the things that made them bitter. Despite the book's uniqueness and profound ideas, Ham on Rye is a gripping story that keeps you attached to the book until the end. Ham on Rye is a semi-autobiography that covers the life of Charles Bukowski from his childhood to his late 20s. The novel begins by showing Henry's heavily dysfunctional family. Henry has limited access to his grandmother and almost no access to his grandfather. Henry is beaten by his father once a week or more for things he couldn't control. How every Saturday, Henry has to mow the lawn and if his father finds a single blade of grass sticking out, he will be beaten in the bathroom. Witness to all these events, his mother looks on like a passerby in the street. Apart from Henry's misery in his house. He and his few acquaintances he talks to at school have very sexual visualizations of women, including Henry. They would talk about which girl they preferred to have sex with or how their teacher was so sexually attractive. Henry also began drinking alcohol at a young age. One day, his friend Baldy brings him to his house and they head to the cellar. In Baldy's cellar, his father has barrels of beer from which they both had to take a drink. Once they finish drinking, Henry says, "well, now I found something, I found something that's going to help me for a long time" (Bukowski 22). Henry has only drank once and he is already talking about the major role alcohol will play in his life. One of the main themes is recurring, the dark side of life. Bukowski writes without filter. 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 to see and once the beatings were over it took a bit of time for Henry to get his bearings. Another one of Bukowski's themes is the lack of moral values. An incident occurs in which Henry's friend Chuck wants to kill a cat.