The Last Of Her Sons By Alden Nowlan

700 Words2 Pages

In the intricate nature of human relationships, love, influence and power can sometimes be misused to achieve the other’s goals that aren’t ideal. Instead of mutual support, the relationship may turn into a prison, limiting someone’s success while abusing them in the process. In the short story ‘The Last of Her Sons’ by Alden Nowlan, the narrator dives into intricate topics like the power, influence and betrayal inside a family with five siblings and two parents that shapes the children from innocent minds to troublemakers. In the short story, the narrator introduces Judd, a father that works hard in the mills, Ethel, a supportive mother that is abused by Judd due to his alcoholism, and Skipper, the fifth and last child in the family. In Skipper’s …show more content…

Instead of steering his son away from those negative actions, she scolded her son multiple times and refused to talk to him as punishment. As time went on, he developed a bond with his father due to him being the only role model left and on his fourteenth birthday, his father bought him a.22 caliber rifle to hunt birds with his new role model. Similarly, in ‘Indian Horse’, Saul lost his only influence Grandma Naomi due to her freezing to death protecting Saul from the harsh conditions, then he was found by the ‘zhaunagush’ so they transported him to the St. Jerome's Residential School. In both stories, they lost their only positive influence in life due to a conflict and were forcibly directed to negative paths that will soon change them for the worse. Judd’s influence on the children can be compared to Father Lebieux’s influence on Saul from the novel ‘Indian Horse’. Judd encouraged Skipper to do activities just like him, knowing fully that it would turn them into a bad person just like his four older siblings. Father Leboutillier introduced hockey and it became Saul’s safe haven, but it was actually a ruse to steer Saul’s mind away from the sexual abuse he committed on him. Both Judd and Father Leboutillier used their influence and power in a negative sense, fully knowing that the children would not

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