'Big Jesse, Little Jesse By Oscar Casares' Brownsville: A Short Story

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Getting a divorce is not an easy decision for most married couples. This separation process is even harder when children are stuck in the middle of the dispute. While having a class discussion about the short story “Big Jesse, Little Jesse”, from Oscar Casares’ Brownsville: Stories, many peers came to the conclusion that Jesse seems to blame his son’s disability and the different experiences it brings into Little Jesse's life for the lack of connection between the two. However, the young age in which Jesse became a father, which deprived him from the enjoyment of his own youth, could have affected the father and son relationship, leading Jesse to try and find similar interests he might share with his son to build a better bond. Jesse is ashamed that Little Jesse is nothing like him when he was a young boy, convincing himself that they cannot connect due to their difference in interests. Jesse tries to figure out how to celebrate Little Jesse’s achievements in his new school, so he asks his co-worker Mary Lou what she thinks would be a good activity. She is in disbelief …show more content…

However, because Jesse became a father at such an inexperienced age, he had to mature fairly quickly and didn't have time to enjoy life as a young adult without all of the responsibility of parenthood. When the carnival comes into town, Jesse decides to take Little Jesse and Corina to spend some time as a family again. At the carnival, Jesse has a flashback of the last time he went to a carnival, and the scene turns nostalgic, but as he comes back to the present: He can tell that Little Jesse is having fun and likes the rides. Jesse doesn't care that they're all kiddie rides, either. He buys his boy cotton candy and lets him throw away money on a game where he has to pop balloons with darts. Five dollars later, Little Jesse hasn't hit one ballon, but it still doesn't matter. They’re all laughing and having a good time.

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