Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice

“I told her my father didn’t know about her…’He’s only here for three days.’”

                The narrator’s relationship with Linda appears to be a lasting one; however, the father’s unawareness of his son’s girlfriend is strange to Linda. The young couple does not discuss his father, but when he emerges in conversation it is only in negative light. When Linda learns that his father will be in town, it is obvious that she would like to meet him just as, just as all serious relationships evolve. It is understandable that a father and son may not have a close and open relationship, but it would seem that fathers want to meet those who are important to their children. Rather, the son lies about Linda such as when he wants to see her instead he says he is going on a walk, allowing the father to assume nothing important and tagging along.

“My father was drawn to weaknesses, even as he tolerated none in me.”

                Some fathers are depicted as tough men who do not accept failure in themselves or their family. With the narrator’s father’s background, the father is hard on his son because he wants him to have a better life than he did. He pushes him to the best he can be. However, as the old man slowly deteriorates, his back pains become a problem, more of weakness, where his son must even aid him in walking. His pain is a weakness and roles are reversed, where previously immaturity was seen as a weakness.

“The thing is not to write about what no one else could have written, but to write what only you could have written.”

                There are a plethora of topics that a writer can choose from to compose a variety of works. The narrator’s friend points out his unusual topics that he has written his last three books about, including lesbian vampires and painters with hemorrhoids. His father would prefer he write about something else rather than the boat men of Vietnam. But, it is with the narrator’s resources, mainly his father’s stories, that allow him to write about this topic, that not only have few written on but also because he can write about it. His drive to write this story, on a typewriter, and perfect it shows his ability to write on this certain topic and therefore should be allowed to write whatever he so chooses.

equably: free from many changes or variations; uniform (Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice 3)

metronome: a mechanical or electrical instrument that makes repeated clicking sounds at an adjustable pace, used for marking rhythm, especially in practicing music.  (Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice 4)

rheumy: pertaining to, causing, full of, or affected with rheum. (Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice 13)