Johnny In The Short Story The Father

However, the father’s satisfactory efforts at reconciling his relationship with his son fails and creates more distance between the two. The Father’s first attempt to reconciliate with Johnny is by purchasing him a new scout uniform to replace Johnny’s existing uniform. As John says “I don't want those goon’s down at the church thinking i'm too cheap to buy him one.” (68) Johnny quickly realizes he was not buying the scout uniform for him but for his own reputation. Johnny felt that John was being selfish and instantly saw through John’s fake act. This is why he wasn’t impressed or excited when his father mentioned the uniform. Another poor effort at reconciliation was when he made an inappropriate joke with the scoutmaster and Mr. Redpath.

John was trying to be humorous as he wanted to fit into the group. “...Three dollars! Why I could have taken Johnny to a burlesque show for less than that.” (70) The joke was inappropriate because of where he said he would take Johnny.When he made the joke the scoutmaster and Mr. Redpath chuckled politely but then John noted they exchanged glances at each other. That symbolizes that the two were not impressed by John’s joke. His attempt to be the cool or funny dad had failed and might have indirectly corrupted Johnny’s reputation. When the father and son finally arrive at the banquet and begin to look around John realizes he does not know as much as he should about Johnny. John asks “ ‘Have you anything on exhibition, Johnny?”, he [asks] the boy. “Only the cree mask i made last winter.” Cree mask! He’d never seen the boy making a mask, though he [wonders] vaguely what he was doing in the basement sometimes”. (70) This clearly indicates to John how little he knows about his son. John could have helped Johnny with his cree mask as an attempt to bond with his son. However, he missed that opportunity as Johnny’s mask was already on the wall at the exhibition and received help from another father. Since John obviously did not go to many of Johnny’s events, going to the banquet was an attempt at reconciliation despite the fact he had a be convinced to go. In the end John makes the situation worse between him and his son as he embarasses himself and ruins Johnny’s night with many inappropriate actions. “...”leave me alone, Daddy, please!” the boy [cries] [Johnny then breaks] away from him and [then] runs down the street.” (76) The Father realizes that he has always been the static between the two. John must have realized all the mistakes he had made. John may not be able to draw close to his son again because of Johnnys powerful feelings of hatred and neglect towards his father. John realizes here he will have to put in a lot more effort and time to reconciliate his relationship with his son.

Consequently, the Father betrays and embarasses Johnny many times and creates more distance between each other. Johnny had a banquet coming up soon but was too scared to ask his father to go. So his mother asked his father for him. “[John] didn’t look forward to an evening spent in the company of a bunch of professional fathers, who were “real pals” to their sons.”(65) John tried to avoid going to Johnny’s banquet as it did not seem to interest him. However Johnny's mother convinced John otherwise. He did not seemed thrilled or excited about going even after he was convinced. This represents betrayal because John had to be convinced to an evening spent at his sons banquet. He is marginalizing Johnny’s needs and wants from his father. Thus, Johnny feels neglected and hurt. This seems to have happened more than once as Johnny seemed to be to scared to ask his dad to go. While John was attending the banquet he quickly learned how little he knows about Johnny. He did not know anyone that came by the house, or any of Johnny’s friends names. “Whos Mr. Robertson? “Don’s dad.” You know Don Robertson?” “ Oh sure.” He didn’t know one boy or girl who came to the house from another. “ (71) This quote indicates that since John has isolated himself from Johnny; in turn, Johnny has betrayed his father. He is getting help from other fathers instead of his own which makes John feel exasperated. He could have been the one at Johnny’s swim meets cheering him on from the stands, or the dad that helped Johnny carve his cree mask. But he was not there for Johnny at those times. He was beginning to realize his mistakes as this was one of the turning points for John. Another betrayal incident occurred with John’s drinking problem. After John came home from work he mentions that he had a couple of drinks with a customer; however, his wife instantly pressures the idea of eating. She cleverly did that so John would sober up before the banquet. John then promised his wife he will be at his best and he will not drink. When they got to the banquet John met a man named Murdoch. “Murdoch said “This may not be the exact place for it, but i’ve got a bottle of liquor in the car... “Your a life saver” [John] said” (73) Instead of John committing to his promise like he said he would, John betrayed his wife and drank. Betraying his promise by letting his wants get the best of him. The father’s at the banquet are presenting their children with certificates and badges. John is very proud of his son because he is about to receive his certificate and badge. “Here you are, Johnny.” he said, [as he hands] the boy the certificate and badge.. In a paroxysm of pride and happiness he [grasps] the boys hand, and [faces] the audience, he held it aloft... There [is] a short burst of embarrassed laughter from the tables... [He] [turns] around its end, he [staggeres] slightly and [falls] against it, pushing the plates... a vase of flowers and a couple plates [fall] to the floor with a loud crash.” (75) John embarrassed his son in front of everybody. That was exactly what Johnny is trying to avoid. John is clearly intoxicated and must have instantly been judged. He embarrassed Johnny as his actions reflect of Johnny. He had enough from his dad and was the first one out of the banquet. John not only ruined his reputation but also Johnny’s. It will become tough for Johnny to show his face to his fellow peers at his boy scout camp.

Finally, the epiphany of the short story “The Father” is that the awkward relationship with his son is his fault.

“[Has] there always been something between himself and the boy that neither of them understood? “No.” he said to himself. “No, it’s your fault. It’s always been your fault.” (76) The Father realizes how oblivious he has been towards Johnny’s needs. It has always been his fault for not being there for Johnny. He does not know a single thing that is currently happening in Johnny's life. John was blind to how important this banquet was to his son. All John did by going was make the tension between father and son grow with a negative impact. His lack of effort towards reconciliation, actions of betrayal and embarrassment are the reason he is at fault. He can not blame Johnny for his actions because having a drunk father who lifts you in the air and then nearly knocks over a table is embarrassing. I believe the point at which John begins to have his epiphany is when he was talking to Johnny on the way to the banquet. “As they passes the schoolyard he asked the boy how the softball team was doing.... He [realizes] the he [did not] even know what position his own son played, or even the name of the team.” (68) (69) That makes it clear that John does not attend any of his sons games. That means he is not getting much attention from his father. His father showed signs of marginalization towards Johnnys needs but seems like he has changed by the end of the

story.

Thus, even though John Purcell realizes the disturbances he made, it may be too late to repair the tension between the two. This is evident by the stiff relationship throughout the story, John fails to reconstruct his relationship with Johnny, the deception and dilemma are a crucial act of bewilderment, and the reality of what he has been doing to Johnny may be too late to fix. The effects of a neglecting family will show as they will slowly drift apart in their relationship. Children are fragile and need to be given attention, time, and love. If they are not provided these three If people become more aware and involved in their childrens lives we would have less emotionally scarred children who suffer from depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses. Would you lend out your hand to save a child from falling into depression?