Roy, like Dwight, influences Toby’s relationship with his mother and forces Toby to withhold the truth from her. Toby goes on to resent this control and deception and rebel against it. Toby’s skewed perception of masculinity is similarly impacted by his father’s ‘desertion’. Whilst Wolff’s discussion of his father’s neglect is minimal, a deeper impact and lesson of real value becomes evident in Wolff’s snapshot of himself as a father. It is, in part, because of his father’s ‘inconstant parent(ing)’ that Wolff feels such a
It was not external, but lay deep within him. It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father. Even as a little boy he had resented his father’s failure and weakness, and even now he still remembered how he had suffered when a playmate had told him that his father was agbala. That was how Okonkwo first came to know that agbala was not only another name for a woman, it could also mean a man who had taken to title. And so Okonkwo was ruled by one passion – to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved.
Okonkwo and Macbeth are both heavily influenced by other characters, fuelled by the expectations of their societies, and driven to act based on their tragic flaw. The reason behind all the actions Okonkwo takes can be traced back to one person; his father. Okonkwo grew up hating Unoka’s laziness and he “was ruled by one passion- to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved” (Achebe 13). This led him to rule “his household with a heavy hand” (Achebe 13), and treat his family poorly. He is afraid to show affection, as seen with Ezinma and Ikemefuna.
When Carmela asks Raul if it’s another woman he’s seeing, Raul looks away with no intent of answering, what he thinks to be an absurd question. As he’s looking away, he catches Arturo’s eyes and gives of a look that makes Arturo feel uncomfortable. In another situation, this frequent shared look (that represents their bond) might have been accepted. However because of the situation in which Arturo’s mother is being disrespected by his father, Arturo feels ashamed when he catches his father’s gaze. It is understood that Arturo and his father share a strong bond, just as most fathers and sons do.
Amir’s relationship to his mother, father and half brother, Hassan, are guilt ridden and strained. Finally, Amir addresses this guilt and proves his remorse through selfless acts. It is through selfless acts that his sins of the past are settled and he is able to become a man and form a complete sense of self. Amir’s sense of guilt stems from the very moment he was born. Amir’s mother died in childbirth and at times, Amir feels like Baba resents him for taking the life of his beautiful wife.
Even before Amir betrays him, Hassan makes him feel guilty simply by being such a righteous person. Amir would regret his decisions all his
He also used adjectives like exacerbated, intransigent, dissonant anarchy, vindictive, bitter and incessant. Baldwin described his anger to his father as incongruous, sardonic, bitter, paranoia, fearful despair and appalling. Baldwin described anger as all consuming and dangerous to a heart because the ultimate loser is the hater. The(pg.59) relationship between black and white America and his own father is a story of loss, anarchy and hate. He regrets that he could not overcome the obstacles in his personal narratives.
Deep inside, Amir feels a sense of burden and guilt because he killed Baba’s beloved princess, even though it wasn’t his fault. “Because the truth of it was, I always felt like Baba hated me a little. After all, I had killed his beloved wife [. . .]
Like father like son, Baba also falls on the same track of sin towards Ali, whom he sees as his brother. Baba has been hiding the truth from Ali, Amir and Hassan, that Hassan is in fact Amir’s half brother. Once again this ties social class with
Jappe Botha, the racist and callous Afrikaner was always ruthless and unkind to P.K. as a young boy. Botha’s viciousness towards him taught him what not to be. Botha’s inhumane behavior is the reason P.K. grew up to become kind and compassionate.