Crossing Some fathers take their sons out on camping trips to create a closer bond. These trips are cozy and relaxing and are done under safe circumstances. Most fathers would never dream of taking their sons out on dangerous trips, which is not the case in Mark Slouka’s short story, Crossing, which was published in 2009. It’s a nerve racking story about a father who takes his little son on a survival trip in a forest, which turns out bad. It is an interesting story and this study will analyze and interpret the narrator, setting and structure and will finally conclude on the story as a whole.
The story is being told from a limited omniscient third person narrative. “He remembered
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“He’d been in at the house by dawn, as he’d promised. He as in the driveway for a while looking at the yard, the azaleas he’d planted, the grass in the yard beaten flat by the rain. For a long time he hadn’t wanted her back, hadn’t wanted much of anything, really. He went inside, wiping his shoes and ducking his head like a visitor (…)” We’re told that he and his wife split up and she got their old house, and lives there now with their son, through his thoughts and actions. A lot of dialog can often feel very confusing for the reader, so by letting the father’s thoughts tell the story, it becomes flowing and lighter to read and gives a greater understanding of the situation.
The story is taking place in a forest, in the wild, and is a dangerous place. “Of course they’d have a campfire – there was a fire ring right there and sometimes, if you were quiet, herds of elk would graze in the meadow at dusk” They are in the wild, with elks grazing near them, which are dangerous animal, should they feel threatened. This gives the reader a clear image of the location of the story.
There are two different locations, the one which most of the story takes place in, and the tour to the main location. “It was raining as they drove out of Tacoma that morning” “When they came out of the trees and onto the stony beach he felt a small shock, as if he were looking at a house he’d grown up in but now barely recognized.” The
The difference of Captain John Smith in “The General History of Virginia” and William Bradford in “Of Plymouth Plantation.” Captain John Smith was an english soldier, explorer, and author. William Bradford was an english separatist leader in Leiden, Holland, and in the Plymouth Colony. The Plymouth Colony was in Massachusetts and Jamestown was in Virginia. The Plymouth Colony was formed for the purpose of having religious freedom, while Jamestown Colony was formed by adventures looking to make a profit in the New World. At Plymouth, the pilgrims did well living with their Native Americans neighbors while at Jamestown they did not do very well at living peacefully with the Native Americans.
When they are leaving, the boy’s mother waves but the boy “like Lars, simply [lifts] his hand” (1). He follows Lars’s actions and suppresses his fear indicated by his fidgets. At the same time, the boy understands his father’s urge to create an exciting hunting experience for him, but “when they [turn] back for camp, the boy [feels] only relief” (16) because he does not need to pretend anymore. This means that he suppresses his real emotions when his father feels the frustration of finding no prey in order to meet his father’s expectations of a good hunter. Therefore, he conforms to the expectations of the adults by concealing his feelings and faking his
1. The narrator is in the mountains, because the narrator wanted quiet isolation to do some writing.
The author Wes Moore recounts the time in chapter one, “Is Daddy Coming With Us?” , when he met his father who at the time was just a strange man. Wes states that “[he] looked at his mother… [moving] closer to [her] hip” (Moore 25). He continues by telling the reader that he automatically felt safer next to her. The reason for this text is to help the reader understand how many families can help with the development of a person. The author describes this event in full detail to show how Wes’ family provided him with a sense of feeling safe and sheltered.
Trumbo shifts the tone from tense to reflective through effectively selecting details which portray the impact of the encounter between the father and son. Opening the passage Trumbo asserts the significance of the tradition by carefully depicting the campsite, in a way which he conveys an atmosphere of nostalgia. Describing how his memories included the “pine needles…falling” on their tent, sitting “staring into the fire,” fishing, and hearing the “streams which connected the lakes” throughout the night. Reveling an appreciation of company is present in the boy’s childhood which lays the foundation for his anxiety to inform his father of his wants, as the two were once connected like the streams and
Many Aboriginal populations have been using storytelling as a way of communication for centuries. Storytelling is used on a day to day basis whether it be reading a story to kids or telling friends about an experience. The importance of storytelling is highlighted constantly throughout the book Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden and the entire story itself is a recollection of memories. Niska tells stories of her past to warn and teach Xavier. Xavier tells stories of his haunting and innocence shattering experience at war to help him heal. Elijah tells stories about his life before and during the war as an attempt to maintain what is left of his aboriginal culture and to heal himself by reminding himself of his achievements and what he has proudly accomplished . Storytelling plays a significant role in the novel by teaching and helping to heal the characters.
Throughout Black Elk’s life, their community was moved from one place to another, when they reached other destinations after awhile they had to fight whites and to live through loses and hard times. Black Elk always had the visions of the people dancing and the Grandfathers that were symbolizing villages in many dreams that he had to save. By telling the dreams to the village, they powered themselves and were going to fight in small groups relying on spirits to help them in, saying “today is a good day to live”.
In this story the love the father demonstrates trying to win back his family by taking his son on a ski trip shows how the father loved his son very much. His dad fought for the right to spend some time with his son. He would not give up until the son’s mom let him take his
Imagine a powerful tool someone could use in order to reach and influence the masses, from even a small community to a whole nation or even multiple nations. Something that can be used to spread awareness and information, whether it be true or false, used to paint a picture and influence masses to a single viewpoint. Propaganda: “ideas or statements that are often false or exaggerated and that are spread in order to benefit a cause, a political leader, a government, etc.” Could there be a more perfect tool used to influence millions of people; whether it be promoting or bashing a person, and idea, or a nation? Something as innocent as a poster on wall seen by a passerby, but with a sentimental message that urges attention. People have
In order for a child to live in a complete and happy family, the paternal love plays a major role in a child’s life, especially the love of a father which is as much important as a mother’s love. Moreover, a father’s love is one of the greatest influences on the child’s personality development throughout his/her life. A father’s love brings a sense of protection of security in a child. In the novel The Road, Cormac McCarthy present the great example of paternal love. The novel deals with a post-apocalyptic story about an unnamed man and his unnamed child as they move toward the south to find a better place to live after the catastrophic event. The son is the only reason for the father
This story also paints the picture of a father who would not give up on regaining his time with his son. It shows the father desperately trying to rectify the mistrust issues he created because he stated to the boy when they were sitting in the diner after the highway patrol redirected them away from the snow-covered route home that she would never forgive him if he did not get the boy home for
When he fell in love I believe that the father was conflicted with chasing his dreams or staying and living the dream his beloved had envisioned. At the time he might have felt like he was making the decision that he wanted but as the years went by he regretted his choice but chose to continue living his life never fully being who he really wanted to be.
He barely speaks any words about himself, instead he chooses to tell everything about his wife’s life. When the narrator speaks of his wife’s first husband, he says “this man who’d first enjoyed her favors…why should he have a name?” (Carver 275). The way he words these phrases shows how he is trying to hide the fact that his wife has been with another man. The insecurities about the relationship probably began when the wife told the narrator that Robert “asked if he could touch her face. She agreed to this. She told me he touched his fingers to every part of her face, her nose—even her neck” (Carver 274). The narrator doesn’t say anymore on the topic and decides to move on, but the silence shows how he doesn’t approve of the situation. The narrator felt that his wife “told [Robert] everything, or so it seemed to me” (Carver 275). When the wife notices how the narrator is uncomfortable about Robert she says “If you love me, you can do this for me. If you don’t love me, okay” (Carver 276), which shows that she doesn’t have much stake in the relationship either.
One thing that remains constant in the ever-changing world of Cormac McCarthy’s dystopian novel The Road is the relationship between The Man and The Boy. The father and son’s bond is extremely close, especially due to the isolation they face on The Road, but it is filled with love and endearment, like someone would expect any relationship between a father and son to be.