Blowing in the Wind

The first chapter, “Markin’ Up The Score”, ends with Dylan’s admittance of the fact that he “had no false hope”. Up to this point in his life he understands that he has “come from a long ways off and had started from a long ways down” (22). He believes in destiny, and the future holds no surprise in his eyes; it is no coincidence that he met John Hammond or even Dave Van Ronk. At this point in Dylan’s career he has already demonstrated the confidence necessary for the success his future holds. Upon Dylan’s arrival to New York City he mentions that he had not known anyone. He was alone in the “cold and intricate web” that the city was. But the fact of the matter is that, the majority of Dylan’s accounts revolve around the encounters he faces with essentially everyone he meets in the city. In fact, Dylan credits New York City with having shaped his destiny.
Dylan seems to unconsciously compare himself with those around him. For example even though Dylan openly reveals his admiration for Freddy Neil, he also reveals the fact that he believes that Freddy has no aspirations for the future. He does not want to be like Freddy Neil, and in the end he decides never to play in the Wha? again. Dylan does in fact show off his modesty, but at times it feels as If he is forcing the modesty out. Case in point, Dylan tells us that the fact that he ever even set foot through the door of Columbia Records seems as it were a dream, but he knows that it was his destiny.
My last point is that I find Dylan’s concise and straightforward language (prose) to be helpful in telling his story. He covers a lot of ground in his life, but at the same time it does not feel like the reader is missing out on anything.