Ambrose Flack's The Strangers That Came To Town

George Washington once said that “Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth,” and this metaphor is demonstrated through the characterization of Father, Mother and brothers Andy and Tom in Ambrose Flack’s story, “The Strangers That Came to Town.” Through effective characterization, Flack transforms an entire family to reveal and emphasize his theme that freedom is about acceptance. Throughout the story, Father, Mother, and brothers, Andy and Tom, undergo a transformation that plants the seed of acceptance in a community -- a seed that takes root, rapidly grows and reaches full growth as freedom and acceptance.
The first family member, Father, who “was the only man on Syringa Street who tipped his hat to sixteen-year-old

Early in the story, Andy, the narrator, refers to himself and his brother as “Philistines like our friends” (5). He describes the Duvitch children with words such as “antisocial” and “scavenger” and openly shares how “some of their classmates scoffed at the leaf, lard and black bread sandwiches they ate for lunch” (4). At no point in the story, do the brothers demonstrate the quiet kindness of their parents, thus, it is not surprising that Andy plays the shameful trick of killing Mr. Duvitch’s fish. It isn’t until Father is angry that the boys begin their transformation. Andy notices that “Father’s eyes were narrow slits of blue fire in his white face. I had never seen him so angry” (7). Following their punishment and having caught the fish needed to pay back Mr. Duvitch, Andy acknowledges that “Tom and I took care not to play the part of triumphant heroes, even of redeemed sinners – that would not have suited our parent. Certainly, in appearance, we were more condemned than redeemed” (12). Andy’s words demonstrate the boys’ desire to please their parent and therefore to follow Father’s lead. After giving Mr. Duvitch the fish, Andy confesses that “it was my greatest lesson in humility” (12). Evidently, the boys’ transformation frees them to also discover, while at dinner, that the Duvitch children are polite, patient and “complete human beings” (14). The changed attitudes and actions of the brothers mark their transformation, and ironically, Andy’s comment that he was “fascinated by the family’s metamorphosis” (14) very much describes his own family’s transformation,