Knockemstiff Essay

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Parental Bonding Knockemstiff, by Donald Ray Pollock, is intimate with dingy aspect of small town full of poor uneducated people without future or knowledge of any other way to live. It is a dark book, a scary book in its claim for reality, for hidden secrets in the life we lead and and for the life we’d rather not know about. Somehow it gives one hope than even in revolting circumstances human beings aim for the same simple things and live. Knockemstiff , is the genuine entry into the literature of place. In the first tale , “Real life”, there is a violent incident taking place at a drive-in movie which begins the gradual transformation of a sensitive, caring young boy named Bobby, into the image of his abusive, unemotional and alcoholic father. Three incidents from “Real life” prove that a father’s beliefs and behavior have a great impact on a son’s life even though it’s a negative one. The first evidence that influences the son to be like his father is when they go to watch a movie “Godzilla” and end up in a fight. During the movie, the old man drags the son off to the bathroom, really for no apparent reason other than the one which makes very little sense: “I don’t want him pissin’ all over my new seats”.(Pollock4) The mother pleads not to take their son but his fate is decided. There a tall big guy with his son standing in the line at the urinal gets angry on the old man for cussing in front of his son. After arguing with each other, the old man drives his fist against the temple of the big man’s head, laying him down on the floor. This makes the big man’s son drill in Bobby’s ear. But suddenly Bobby covers up his head and hits the boy on his face. The old man screams “Fuck him up!”.(Pollock8) The boy hits again and sprays out red blood from his nose. This is the point that shows how Bobby is pushed into the fight and transforms from what
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