Right Stuff Tom Wolfe's Book Term Paper

Surprisingly, among the most important qualities possessed by the very few individuals who have the right stuff are attributes (if one can refer to it as being an attribute) like overconfidence. This arrogance is apparently essential for making pilots have the feeling that they should not be left behind, regardless of the circumstances. "Manliness, manhood, manly courage" (Wolfe 66) are also extremely significant for someone engaged in testing for the space program. By having the right stuff, test pilots thought of anyone lesser than them as being inferior and thus unworthy of their respect.

In their field of work, test pilots were well aware that what they did had never been experienced before and that they had to be best at it. Even when one is plunging to his death, he is still capable of conversing with their team and see that his colleague exploit the situation so as for his demise not to be in vain.

In order to have the right stuff, pilots have to go through a series of episodes that Wolfe likens to a ziggurat.Reaching the top of the ziggurat means that one has the right stuff. The rationale of the ziggurat was apparently "to prove at every foot of the way up that pyramid that you were one of the elected and anointed ones who had the right stuff and could move higher and even-ultimately...be able to join the very Brotherhood of the Right Stuff" (Wolfe 19).

Being a pilot was nothing in comparison to having the right stuff and thus all pilots were determined to reach the top of the pyramid. One obviously has to be a leader in order to have the right stuff.

Bibliography:

Wolfe, Tom. "Right Stuff."….....