Sacrifices within Fatherhood Jess Walter creates a world based on his own experience as a child and adult living in Spokane, Washington, in his newest collection of short stories “We Live in Water.” In his stories “Anything Helps” and “Thief” the theme of fatherhood and sacrifice in one’s life is shared. In “Anything Helps” readers follow a story of a homeless man named Bit. Bit would do anything to buy his son the new Harry Potter book. In “Thief” a man becomes a detective to see which of his kids are stealing from the family vacation fund. The stories are extremely different, but both reveal that fathers would make any sacrifice for their children it is a part of fatherhood.
In the short story “Anything Helps” Bit was a homeless drug addict.
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Bit in “Anything Helps” is a drug addict. His wife overdosed on heroin, which showed that they had to be heavy on drugs. They were homeless which showed that they probably used all of their money to buy the drugs. Sadly their son was taken and put into foster care which expresses that he was not responsible, but the act of Bit saving his money to purchase the Harry Potter Book was his sacrifice made for Nick. Bit did not use the money for his addiction instead he used the twenty-five bucks to make his son happy for his birthday. In “Thief” Wayne knew what it would feel like if he would have got caught stealing out of the vacation fund. He sacrificed his plan to find the thief so that he would not make his child feel the way that he did not want to feel. As if their dad looked down upon them. Instead he just sat in the closet not making any action. Wayne could have approached his child with a whipping or punishment, but he did not. He did not want to make his child think they were a …show more content…
Successful fathers understand that their sacrafices change their childs environment. Bit understood that as long as Nick was happy nothing else mattered. The cardboard sign that read the words “Anything Helps” literally meant any little thing helped Bit to get closer to buying his helpless child a book. Wayne on the other hand sacrificed his case to find a thief to make his child happy and comfortable. How he felt did not matter. The children come before everything. In the book “We Live in Water,” Walter calls on social disappointments. The stories reveal guys who have let their families down and made bad choices. “None of Mr. Walter’s characters ever recover” (Maslin 1). The guys bring the trouble on themselves. The question remains do we live in
Walter has long dreamed of making his family’s condition better, of giving them wealth that his low-paying job is unable to do. Nature appears to be against Walter and his family, for they are living in a poorly maintained tenement apartment while surrounded with racism. Walter understands this situation, so he decides to use the $10,000 check for an investment in order to exceed his primitive state. In mid-morning, he excitedly asks his family about the check’s arrival, “Check coming today?” (Hansberry I.i.868). The check is one of the few reasons that forces Walter to get up each morning, so he will eventually be able to obtain success and self pride. Walter views the check as the only solution to all of his problems, so once Mama receives it, Walter confronts her and begs for her “financial” support. Walter exemplifies his sudden, new-found confidence to Travis when Mama unexpectedly entrusts him with the remaining $6,500, “…your daddy’s gonna make a transaction . . . a business transaction that’s going to change our lives” (II.ii.885). Walter is finally ready to realize his dream, and he has all the possible confidence he can acquire. He foresees the significant change that awaits his family when the money is invested. Unfortunately, nature has different plans for the Youngers. Whe...
Joe grew up in Sequim, Washington during the Great Depression. From the start, Joe’s happy childhood is snatched from his grasp with his mother’s death. His life continues to run off the rails when his brother and father marry a set of twins and his new half-siblings are born. His stepmother’s cruelty to him and his father’s supposed ignorance of it begin the development of Joe’s trust issues. His only remaining family abandons him in a half-built house in the rainy swamps of Sequim, as they look for a better life in Seattle. Here, the exposition is set; lonely years on his own, with only his solitary, and largely self-reliant mind to keep him company. Adversity is an influential tool that has the power to sculpt a life into one of poverty and struggle, or carve a pathway to success. Joe begins his journey mourning the loss of his old life, and fiercely determined to make a better one for himself. In his effort to improve his circumstances, Joe learns that much like how the water that supports a boat is
At first, Walter starts as a man who does not have many traits and characteristics that a leader in the family should has. He feels frustrated of the fact that his mother can potentially support his sister, Beneatha, in her education career. Walter complains and feels depressed about his current life when he has many aspects that not many African men had during his time. Walter has a happy family, a loving wife, and an acceptable occupation. Unfortunately, Walter wants more in his life, and he feels hopeless and depressed when something does not go in his ways. Walter starts to change when he experiences and learns Willis’s betrayal, his father’s hard work, his son’s dream of becoming a bus driver, and his mother’s explanation about the Africans’ pride. Through many difficulties, Walter becomes the man of the family, and he learns the importance of accepting and living a happy life with his family. Like Walter, many African men had to overcome the challenges and obstacles. They had to face and endure through racism. These two ideas often led to many tragic and depressed incidents such as unequal opportunities, inequality treatments, segregation, and
A father can play many roles throughout a child’s life: a caregiver, friend, supporter, coach, protector, provider, companion, and so much more. In many situations, a father takes part in a very active position when it comes to being a positive role model who contributes to the overall well-being of the child. Such is the case for the father in the poem “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden. In this poem, readers are shown the discreet ways in which a father can love his child. On the other hand, there are also many unfortunate situations where the fathers of children are absent, or fail to treat the children with the love and respect that they undoubtedly deserve. In the contrasting poem “Like Riding a Bicycle” by George Bilgere, readers are shown how a son who was mistreated by his drunken father is affected by their past relationship many years later. Although both of these poems have fairly similar themes and literary techniques, they each focus on contradicting situations based on the various roles a father can play in a child’s life.
Living in a society where the fulfillment of dreams is based upon material wealth, the Younger family strives to overcome their hardships as they search for happiness. As money has never been a way of life for the family, the insurance check's arrival brings each person to see the chance that their own dreams can become reality. Whether in taking a risk through buying a "little liquor store" as Walter wishes to do or in -"[wanting] to cure" as Beneatha dreams, the desires of the family depend upon the fate of Mama's check. In the mind of Walter Lee Younger, the check is the pinnacle of all, dominating his thoughts, as he does not wait a second before "asking about money "without" a Christian greeting." He cannot see beyond the fact that he "[wants] so many things" and that only their recently acquired money can bring them about. The idea of money and being able to hold it "in [his] hands" blinds him from the evils of society, as he cannot see that the Willy Harris's of the world will steal a person's "life" without a word to anyone. When money becomes nothing but an illusion, Walter is forced to rethink his values and his family's future, realizing that there is more to living that possessing material riches.
George Saunders, a writer with a particular inclination in modern America, carefully depicts the newly-emerged working class of America and its poor living condition in his literary works. By blending fact with fiction, Saunders intentionally chooses to expose the working class’s hardship, which greatly caused by poverty and illiteracy, through a satirical approach to criticize realistic contemporary situations. In his short story “Sea Oak,” the narrator Thomas who works at a strip club and his elder aunt Bernie who works at Drugtown for minimum are the only two contributors to their impoverished family. Thus, this family of six, including two babies, is only capable to afford a ragged house at Sea Oak,
Living in a poverty stricken area, Walter can only think about one of the many things he lacks, money. On the contrary, there are African Americans on the other side of Chicago who do have money and run large businesses. This pushes Walter to not only want to provide more for his family, but also dream big and become determined. The only way that he sees fit for him to make his dream come true and earn more
Ultimately, the characters’ lack of morals led to their downfall. Every person’s individual childhood experience, or lack of one, was the detrimental factor to their mistakes. This all shows the human need of attention and guidance. Human interaction and strong moral based family structure is key to surviving in life.
Last but not least, O’Connor confirms that even a short story is a multi-layer compound that on the surface may deter even the most enthusiastic reader, but when handled with more care, it conveys universal truths by means of straightforward or violent situations. She herself wished her message to appeal to the readers who, if careful enough, “(…)will come to see it as something more than an account of a family murdered on the way to Florida.”
...ll wants and desires often results in a future filled with deep sadness. However, children do not degenerate by themselves; rather they are not spoiled till those of influential stature in the eyes of the children sink in to the corruption of favoritism. Even though times have changed, this corruption present in “Why I Live at the P.O” is analogous to what favoritism is today. In the modern world, partiality towards a certain child usually comes from strong feelings of love that bury themselves in an prominent figure’s mind and subconsciously spoil the child. This irony, that amplified love actually causes one to suffer later in life, depicts the broader issue that by getting one used to an imaginary life where all desires are fulfilled, he or she cannot accept the fact of human nature that, outside the household, people are indifferent to another person’s wishes.
The reading of “The Boat” by Alistair Macleod is an interesting and sad story that displays many elements figuratively and literally. The first figurative element is the boat. At a literal perspective, the boat is used for fishing and boat rides, although these are not the only things that the boat represents. We learn that the father in some way, as been sacrificing his working life for his family, for something that he doesn’t absolutely love. This shows that he is in some way trapped, or imprisoned. The boat displays
Walter wants the best for his family and he thinks the liquor store will provide him the financial security needed to boost them out of poverty. "I'm thirty five years old; I've been married eleven years and I got a boy who sleeps in living room (Hansberry 34). best describes the sympathy and compassion Walter feels for his son. Although his family's financial position has a strain on it, Walter doesn't want his son to see him struggle. Even in today?s world, children are very susceptible. Walter displays a selfless characteristic which becomes overshadowed by unwise decisions later in the play. In one particular scene, his son Travis asked both parents for money. Walter acts out of pride by giving Travis his last pocket change. This symbolizes Walter's willingness to be a moral father. In a different situation, Walter would not display his selfish intentions. This behavior can be attributed to working in a degrading, underpaid position and not seeing results. Metaphorically speaking, Walter can be related to the furniture in the small apartment, ?tired and broken in spirit?.
All in all, Chris McCandless is a contradictory idealist. He was motivated by his charity but so cruel to his parents and friends. He redefined the implication of life, but ended his life in a lonely bus because of starvation, which he was always fighting against. Nevertheless, Chris and the readers all understand that “happiness only real when shared.” (129; chap.18) Maybe it’s paramount to the people who are now alive.
The role of a father could be a difficult task when raising a son. The ideal relationship between father and son perhaps may be; the father sets the rules and the son obeys them respectfully. However it is quite difficult to balance a healthy relationship between father and son, because of what a father expects from his son. For instance in the narratives, “Death of a Salesman,” and “Fences” both Willy and Troy are fathers who have a difficult time in earning respect from their sons, and being a role model for them. Between, “Death of a Salesman,” and “Fences,” both protagonists, Willy and Troy both depict the role of a father in distinctive ways; however, in their struggle, Willy is the more sympathetic of the two.
John Grisham’s book, ‘A Painted House’ places the reader within the walls of a simple home on the cotton fields of rural Arkansas. Within the first few pages, the author’s description of the setting quickly paints a picture of a hard working family and creates a shared concern with the reader about the family’s struggle to meet the basic needs of life. The description of the dusty roads, the unpainted board-sided house, the daily chore requirements and their lack of excess cause the reader a reaction of empathy for the family. Although the story takes place in a dusty setting very unfamiliar to most readers, the storyline is timeless and universal. Most everyone has a desire to meet the basic needs of life, embrace their family ties, and make others and ourselves proud. The crux of this book is that it does an excellent job in showing the reader through other’s examples and hardships to persevere and never give up.