Thursday, December 2, 2010

Oxymoron in "The Drunkard"

The father in "The Drunkard" seems to be a very strange character. Most people do not view funerals as he did: "It was an excellent funeral from Father's point of view. He had it all well studied before we set off after the hearse in the afternoon sunlight," (345). What kind of person gets excited over funerals? He was literally studying what he was witnessing before the funeral and becoming overjoyed at how "excellent" it would be. To me, that just seems sick if you find personal enjoyment out of the mournful loss of another's loved one. In the beginning of the story, the boy states that "it was a terrible blow to father when Mr. Dooley died," (342). I have no respect for alcoholics so I felt zero sympathy for the father at all. Even if he did experience a rough time, drinking was no way to solve it. He should have sought out his loved ones for real help, not a drink to help him forget.

1 comment:

  1. I think it more about imagining/hoping his own funeral would be that extravagant...that it would show the worth of your life, in a way.

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