Hugh Garner's The Father

Sometimes it may be too late to change but if one does then it might take a great effort to changes their ways. In ''The Father'' by Hugh Garner a father realizes that his son and his relationship os slowly falling apart as the boys father is becoming more and more distant from johnny - his son- and his personal life. in the story, the father realizes he may be blamed for the distance forming although both the father and son can be partially blamed for the failing relationship. as the father tries to mend it, the son continues time after time to refuse his father part in his life; the boy avoids his father as well. there are three main factors as to why things can get better. both the father and son need to change before things are able to get better, but if things don't change things will get worse.

it would seem that every time the father takes a step in the right direction to repairing himself and the relationship but more importantly as the father does this the boy makes it worse by doing the exact opposite.

this action creates more conflict between them; if johnny would stop constantly avoiding his father maybe they could mend their relationship and then johnny could have or try to have a good relationship with his father. since johnny could remember it seemed like "even a little thing like [asking his father to the banqut] had become a shameful chore that the boy had avoided" (65) just as spending time with his hater had become shameful and something johnny had avoided. almost "so that a stage shame and embarrassment coloured every event that brought them into contact" (65). the boy needs to change they way he reacts and the way he interprets his father as an embarrassment. although the father needs to change the way he behaves as he often acts or has characteristics to a

child.

the father is found on many occasions ignoring or simply not caring about the boy. it was not until the announcement of the banquet that ''he remembered the times he had been too harsh with the boy, and the times he had been curt and impatient'' (66) this is when things started to change. the father "wanted to get the boy into the conversation, but could think of nothing to talk about that wouldn't sound wooden and contrived. He knew there must be a common plane of interest somewhere if he only knew what it was."(66) at this, it showed how far apart they had drifted. the father "didn't even know what position his own son played, or even the name of the team." (66). in the end the father made mistakes but so did johnny.

although johnny and the father made mistakes john should not take all the blame for this relationship. as both have done many things adding up to this. the father may have to be forgiven but the boy needs to forgive. although in the end it seems the damage can't be fixed; but maybe with some time it can.