Analysis Of The Book ' The Gift ' By John Cheever

John Cheever's short story "Reunion" examines the issue of inheritance between a father and his son. Not inheritance as in monetary matters, but as in character traits and personality. That is, Cheever asks the reader, to what extent is a son destined to be like his father? Understanding this fundamental aspect of the story allows one to pinpoint the exact moment in which the protagonist is defined. It is the purpose of this paper to demonstrate how the protagonist is not defined by his own action or inaction, but by the behavior of his progenitor, i.e. his father.

The choices and decisions made control our lives and build our future. Regardless of whether individuals see it or not, the choices did influence today, impact our tomorrow. Once a choice made, the actions play out, and the results convey; at that point, must choose the option to live with those outcomes. In the short story "The Father," the author, Hugh Garner utilizes character development of John Purcell to demonstrate that one's irresponsible choices made have the ability to jeopardize an essential relationship in one's life.

How not having a father figure affected their emotional and phycological well-being. Also, it taught the readers that sometimes having a father does not necessarily, mean they are a father figure, for example Mr. Clutter, he was there for his family and children, but he chose other things to be proud of instead of his children, he felt that his achievements were more important than his children’s

Throughout literary history, authors have categorized mothers as nurturing, critical, and caring; works of literature characterize fathers, however, as providers who must examples for their children and embrace their protective, “fatherly” instincts. However, many works’ fathers fall short when it comes to acting the role of the ideal dad. Instead of being there for their children, they are away and play very miniscule roles in their children’s lives; instead of protecting he actually ends up hurting their kids. Thus, the paternal literary lens tries to determine whether or not the work’s father figure fits the “perfect father” archetype. This lens questions whether or not the father figure is his children’s active example, provider, and

The relationship between a father and their child is tremendously salient, and will influence the life of both the parent and the adolescent in many ways. Often, it can be difficult for someone to share their personal relationships that they had with their father, as it can be a very delicate subject. Despite this, renowned authors Brad Manning and Sandra Cisneros are two people who chose to write about their unique experiences and childhoods that they shared with their fathers. Both Brad and Sandra felt their childhood relationships with their fathers were unorthodox. This was explicitly outlined in Brad's freshman composition paper titled Arm Wrestling With My Father and Sandra's magazine article titled Only Daughter. Through varying rhetorical strategies, the authors purpose and audience is clearly portrayed in both selections.

Usually in society parents are to be blamed for failing to raise their children in the right way. It is very easy for the society to criticize parents when they mistreat their child or not take care of his/her needs and wants. It is easy for a parent to get judged in society comparing to a child because parents are role models for children’s. Even when a child has been mistreated by her/his parent, it is easy for the child to forgive their parents. The reason behind that situation would be a parent’s unconditional love that a child sees, despite what he/she has been through. In the book The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, she portraits a situation like that where the character spends her childhood memories with her father. Even though Jeannette’s father Rex Walls was an irresponsible father and failed to protect his children, Jeannette still loved her father dearly.

What is a father? A father is someone who is more than just a person who created you. A father is a person who should be a mentor to you and helps guide you through life. What isn't a father is one who simply puts their children aside to live their own lives and have no part in their children's life and growth. The stories I will be contrasting are "The Last Game," by Jan Weiner and "Reunion," by John Cheever. My first reason of contrast is that in "Last Game," the relationship between characters Jan Weiner and his father is that of mutual admiration in which the son had great respect for his, his pride and braveness of choice which is contrasted in "Reunion," as the son Charlie

When Kevin sees his father almost dying, he begins to think of the fatherless children in the world. He extends grace towards fathers in general by thinking how important a role they play in a child’s life, regardless of the mistakes that they might make. After thinking about fathers in general, he then thinks about his own father and as Bailey puts it, “ The caring-the carefulness-which was the belief in holding on to something worth preserving and passing on. Love. Kevin felt the tide of emotion that had been at its lowest ebb flowing back into him again. He looked to his Dad”. (259-260). Instead of remaining angry at his Dad for previous conflicts or for accidentally shooting his brother, Kevin extends grace to his Dad when he chooses instead to think and remember about all the love and caring his father has ever shown him. When he begins to feel that love for his father, his emotions pick up and that gives him the grace to keep on going without emotionally breaking down.

Studies in behavioral genetics show that that genetics interact with the environment and influence psychological characteristics (Russell). Therefore individuals are not solely a product of their genes or their environment, they interact to form the whole person. Within The Tempest, Frankenstein, and Medicine Walk it is shown that the quality of a paternal relationship is a dominating aspect of an individuals environment and therefore it has the power to shape the individual. A paternal relationship is defined as a relationship between a dependent or offspring and the individual they depend on. For example this could mean the father figure could be biological or just an individual that offers the dependant support. In these texts different paternal relationships arise varying from an absent father to a present supportive fathers to a father that wishes to destroy his creation. With these examples of paternal relationships it is shown that they have a lasting impact on the dependant.

Willow Holschuh October 24th, 2014 Blackboard Assignment #3 ENCC 102 Like Father Like Son The self-identity of a child is often molded reflecting the identity of their parents. Whether this shaping of an identity pulls away positive or negative characteristics is very situational. The miracle of childbirth and responsibilities of parenthood weigh heavily on the relationships created between parents and their children. A bond genetically and emotionally built to endure these strains, is that of a father and a son.

In this book, Jonathan discusses the changing dynamic between his parents and himself. In the beginning his parents appear to be a loving couple and he appears to be a very devoted son. As his parents age and his father’s illness progresses, those dynamics change. His father loses all recollection of who his family is and Jonathan’s mother seems to detach herself from the situation, referring to his father as “the baby” most of the time. Kozol (2015) says, “Before she fell asleep that

There is almost no dialogue between the two in the whole story, except for when they first meet and when they part ways. The only mention of the two talking in the middle of the story is when Charlie's father talks to him about baseball. Baseball though, is probably one of the only things that the two may have in common at this point, but the way it is put into context some people would think that Charlie's father doesn't seem interested in him. All of this is very sudden for Charlie's father and he definitely wasn't ready for Charlie to show up in New York. So it could be said that all things considered, all of this could be a little overwhelming for Charlie's father and could be directly related to the way that he acted during their meeting. A father who hasn't seen his son in three years, trying to make a good impression, who is probably very nervous and maybe even scared of meeting his son. Charlie's silence during their meeting doesn't help the situation either. The meeting is obviously awkward for both of them since neither of them

Sara Smolinsky, protagonist in the novel Breaad Givers, is one of the most successful characters in the book. Although her father, Reb, is financially dependent on his four daughters, Sara is determined to become an otherwise independent woman, contrasting with her sisters, who follow in their father’s wishes of becoming a wife and/or mother. Analysis of the book reveals that, despite Reb Smolinsky’s oppressiveness and dependence on the rest of his family, Sara’s success can be attributed to her morals of independence, extreme determination, and her impoverished youth. Sara shows her morals of independence and determination while working towards he college degree, and her troubled childhood is explained in the beginnings of the novel. While Sara’s circumstances are extremely difficult, she proves that anything is possible if one is willing to work for it.

In “In Dreams Begin Responsibilities,” the son does not gain enough attention and care from his parents. “Overhead the sun’s lighting strikes and strikes, but neither of them are at all aware of it.” In Go Tell It on the Mountain, John’s life is painful because his father dislikes him and always blames him. “His father’s face was terrible in anger, but now there was more than anger in it… And John knew, in the moment his father’s eyes swept over him, that he hated John because John was not lying on the sofa where Roy lay.”

This lack of caring continues when he has his secretary respond instead of taking the time to reach out to Charlie himself. This shows that he doesn’t really care about their relationship and is nonchalant about meeting with him. One can assume that his motive for meeting with his son was to feel important and show off. This is obvious when he talks about his club and it seems that the status of his club is more important to him than his son. It can be inferred that he is an alcoholic which is another stereotype of a man. This is shown throughout the story. He continually orders alcoholic beverages for him and his son, is loud and obnoxious just like an alcoholic, and when Charlie smells his father and said he smells like “… a rich compound of whiskey.” (Cheever, 1)