Rough Draft on the story ″Minor Heroism″

Rough Draft on the story ″Minor Heroism″

Introduction

The story ″Minor Heroism″ by Allan Gurganus is a story that centres its ideas explicitly on the relationship between a son and his father, Richard. The story is divided into three parts: with part one and three being developed from the son whereas the second part is formed from the father’s point of view. The story’s impact majorly rests on the author’s skilful use of the point of view, which shifts in all of the three parts of this narrative. The finely crafted story’s first appearance was in the New Yorker and had its setting in a small northern town. The thesis of the story is majorly on the focus of a relationship between a son and his father.

Body

The first subsection is titled, “At war, at home”, a part that is narrated by the elder son, David. The story opens up with David’s reflection and imagination on the reputation of his father. He reflects his father as a minor hero, precisely because of his father’s involvement in bombing Dresden, which happened during World War II. Richard is photographed being kissed by an actress named Betty Grable, a photograph which obtains Richard a certain local glamour among others. A sense of faded glory pervades the household. According to David, his father’s finest hour had already passed. He quotes “You resign yourself to buying bourbon by the case . . . You learn to make do . . . Now grounded, in the awful safety of this decade” (Wolff, 96-98).In the whole episode, David tends to be drawing a picture of his father’s life, before and also after the war years. The son describes his life experiences with his dad, though he seems to hate his father in a way that is deeply conflicted. However, David narrates that his father had no concern for his son’s skill of the art. Describing his father’s life, David tells that after the war ended, his father started working as an insurance worker in a firmer which he forms, where later he got married to his wife Helen in Virginia. Together, they get blessed with two sons namely David and Bradley.

David, whose priority is to stay indoors and keep on exercising his skills and passion in drawing doesn’t admire his father’s prowess in the war, but in contrary is disgusted by the fact that his father keeps forcing him to be tough. David grows up to be an artistic writer and also a homosexual, a character that his father dislikes in him.

In the second part named, ‘My Elder Son”, which is narrated by David father, Richard, the father is not impressed with the homosexuality character of his son which corresponds to his son being a gay. The hatred of the son to his father gets to a deeper end. His father narrates the good things that he did to his sons, claiming that he spoilt his sons in a way that he had he had never been spoiled.in simple terms, the father offered all kinds of best treatments for his sons since he had a lot of expectations in them. The father claims that his wish was for his son David to become an outgoing guy. However, David does not become the friendly guy his father expected from him, and the father does not understand why his wish failed to materialise.

David’s growth fails to meet any of his father’s wishes or expectations, and this seems to hurt his father whereas Bradley appears to be making his father happy by growing up as per his father’s expectations. At this time, David is working at New York as a writer of magazines for Dance World, a Magazine that his father claims that he cannot even stand to see. Richard explains that his son is like a mystery to him and that he gets a bad feeling when anybody ever asks him of his son David. Concerning David’s character, his father quotes “You start with a child, a son,”. . . “And for the first six years, he’s on your side. It’s clear there’s nothing wrong with him. He’s healthy, and you’re relieved “(Burroway, 66).”Then things somehow get off the track . . . He’s inside listening to records when he ought to be outside playing with the others. You wonder for a moment if this white-skinned kid can be 14 years old; can he be half your responsibility, half your fault?” (Giraldi, 70-71).

What impresses his father about Bradley was the fact that he obtains a degree in the same college as his father, getting a wife from a right family while also getting a job that is better paying. Due to Bradley’s efforts and an eye for success, his father sees David as an enigma. To add more hurt to his father, this part also outlines his brother, Bradley’s wedding where David turns up for the event in the company of his homosexual friend. His sexuality creates a palpable discomfort, and his father can stand the shame. In this part, his father’s self-pity and aggrieved tone do not necessarily make him sympathetic but otherwise authentic.

The last part which is named, “Addendum”, is narrated by David. David gives an account of his life experiences while at eight years of age. At one time; he was drawing a picture of him and his father while they were at the dining table. When his father noticed of the sketch David was drawing, he wanted to have a glance of, something that David declines to give in. However, after the persistence of his father in needing to see the drawing, David gives in and gives his father the sketch. However, before providing the sketch, he manages to stretch himself out of the sketch due to the reason that his father never appreciated his skills and passion for artistic works.

The author tends to explore various themes in the story. First; the theme of family life is emphasised. Richard describes his family life, from making a family together, raising his two sons and also Bradley’s wedding. Further, not considering Richard’s war years, conformity is a theme which depicts his style of life. Perhaps, the perception towards his son is from the individuality characters of David. Since returning from the war, Richards leads a conventional life. David’s homosexuality character provides a dramatic context of the gay literature narrative. Further, the theme of love is exhibited from Richard’s relationship with his family. Richard loves his family to the extent that he uniquely treats them.

Conclusion

Overall, the relationship between David and his father is evident to be a strained one. The book explores us through the thesis, which was focusing on the relationship between the father and his son David. Instances which show a strained relationship between there includes where the father cannot stand to see a magazine written by his son and also where his son stretches himself from the drawing he was sketching