Past, Present, and Future

Adam Johnson’s story Trauma Plate was masterfully written. There are very deliberate connections to the 21st century and the past. The first thing that pops into the story is the references to betas, which can be attributed to the fast paced society of the present. However, in Johnson’s text we can see that Beta is referred as being in the past. “We used to have on Beta.” She sets down her design pad. “God, remember Beta? (80)” This conclusion would make the reader think that these events that are taking place are actually set in the future. Johnson goes on talking about the Kevlar vests that one must wear when going outside. There are two parallels that I can think of that can be explained here. The first is that the vest are a symbolism of protection when having sex, which we see later on in the story with Bill’s daughter Ruth and the pizza boy. The second parallel can just be attributed to the violence that will persist within the future. There are several usages of the past that can be attributed to Johnson’s story; William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and the uses of possibly Johnsons past life experiences with the 1970’s. The reference to Romeo and Juliet can be found with the disheartening feeling Bill has towards the owner of the pizza parlor because of the relationship between his son and Bill’s daughter. The connection with the 70’s can be simplistically related to the vehicles that are described in the story and some of the attitude towards using protection while having sex.