The Tragic Structure Of A Son By John Updike

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John Updike, author of “Son,” uses an unusual structure of writing to convey a very important point in his story. His story relates to the relationship between a father and a son and uses many generations in his own family as examples. In his story, Updike writes about his feelings and thoughts about having a teenage son and then goes on explaining how his father felt about him and how his father felt about him, and so on. When he first talks about his teenage son, he makes sure that he states the date because the goal of him writing in this order is not to confuse the reader but so that the reader goes in depth in understanding the beliefs and attitudes that are passed down from generation to generation. Updike introduces his story by …show more content…
The narrator speaks about seeing his son playing in the soccer team and bragging that his son is a good player and has good sportsmanship, but he can’t help to criticize him for not being more aggressive concerning for his future as a man. Updike then goes back into the past and begins to talk about his grandfather being a teenager and how he struggled in the church youth ministry. This paragraph explains to us the meaning of wanting what is best for their son because the narrator’s grandfather did not like being in the ministry but his great grandfather tells him it is not a job it is a calling which he then confesses he never got bringing sadness into his heart. He doesn’t like that his son doesn’t enjoy being in the ministry but he knows that is the best road he has into being …show more content…
This smile relates to the happy moment the narrator had with his family in the 6th paragraph when they go back to their old house after attending the narrator’s hearing and when they realize that the house is gone they are filled with joy that only they can understand. They narrator and his son share this moment of joy that only the two will understand, but when it is over, the son knows that he has to go to his room and on his way there angrily slams all the

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