The Right Stuff | Themes & Symbolism

The Right Stuff Significant Topics

The Right Stuff

Of all the terms Wolfe coined to convey the experiences and codes of test pilots, "the right stuff" is the one that has most completely entered the language. In the world of the test pilot, a combination of skill, superstition, macho arrogance and reserve creates codes that are never put into words but are the standard by which men are judged. Of all the pilots, Chuck Yeager most embodies the combination of courage, skill and nonchalance which combine to form the indefinable "right stuff," and Wolfe devotes much of the book to scenes of Yeager in action, giving the reader a chance to understand it by example.

Wolfe begins by introducing the reader to a group of test pilots in training; men whose skill and arrogance are their primary qualities. As each man survives the latest round of training and is promoted, his self-confidence inflates further and his determination to...
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