John Wade: Power And Influence Of Paul Wade

“My husband had this wonderful magnetic quality-this glow-he’d just point those incredible blue eyes at you and you’d feel like you were under a big hot sun or something…” (O’Brien 195). Many people described Paul Wade, John’s dad, as powerful and influential. So influential, in fact, a kid from John Wade’s class claims he “wish[es] he was my father” (O’Brien 67). Often, the words power and influence go hand in hand. However, these words possess two different meanings. According to the Oxford Learner’s dictionary, power is defined as “The ability to control people or things ” (Oxford Learner’s). While power is described as the ability to control, the term influential is defined as “The effect that somebody/something has on the way a person thinks or behaves or on the way that something works or develops” (Oxford Learner’s). Paul has little power over John; however, Paul’s indirect influence leaves a long lasting, negative impact on his son’s actions. Paul Wade was one of two important people in John’s life. Besides Paul, Kathy Wade seemed to be at the center of John’s world. While Kathy meant a lot

Even though Paul put him through emotional stress, “People enjoyed his company- John, too-” (O’Brien 66). However, this was not a typical father and son relationship. Despite the love John had for his father, Paul constantly brought John down. Whenever the family ate together, Mr. Wade would say “Holy Christ, look at the kid stuff it in, old Jiggling John” (O’Brien 67). As a result of the weight jokes, John felt pressured to purchase a diet in order to please his father. Before all the “Jiggling John” jokes, he was never bothered by his weight. Constant teasing from a loved one causes “The violation of human connection, and consequently the risk of a post-traumatic stress disorder” (O’Brien 142). John’s development of post-traumatic stress disorder began from the indirect influence of his father’s