The Struggle Of A Father In Robert Hayden's Those Winter Sundays

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It is commonly found that as someone matures they begin to appreciate their loved ones increasingly. In his poem Those Winter Sundays, Robert Hayden describes the sacrifices a father makes for his family, and the lack of appreciation the speaker shows for him. It is learned early in the poem that the father works a labor-intensive job during the week that is hard on his body. Despite his hurting hands and presumably exhausted body, he wakes up on his day of rest, Sunday, to warm up the house and be a desirable father. While the father seems to be performing his paternal duties perfectly on the surface, it is presented to the reader that the household is not always as warm. It is clear that the bond between the speaker and his father is not a strong one and when the speaker matured, he began to regret how weak the relationship was. This may be because “a father is a primary role model, helping his son learn what it means to be a man.” (Our Everyday Life) The father makes a true effort to make the household a comfortable one but the reasoning behind his efforts are not as obvious. “Slowly I would rise and dress, fearing the chronic angers of that house,” It can be interpreted that the reason the father is seemingly overcompensating is because he feels guilty for the way he …show more content…

The father feels remorseful knowing that he leads an uncomfortable household, so he does what he can to make up for it by warming up the cold house, cleaning shoes, and so on. The reason the house is so uneasy isn’t directly expressed to the reader but one can assume it may have to do with the attitudes within the house or even the father’s career. If the father is working long hours during the week, he may not be home often enough to really bond with his children. This could be another reason the writer makes it so that the reader can feel the tension and awkwardness throughout the

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