Too Much His Father's Son Short Story

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“His gaze caught Arturo and tried to lock him into the masculine intimacy they often shared, an unspoken complicity between father and son”. What kind of relationship does Arturo share with his father? Does that relationship change? This moment takes place at the beginning of Genaro Gonzalez’s short story, “Too Much His Father’s Son.” Arturo is witnessing his parents argue over Arturo’s mother’s (Carmela) suspicion of her husband (Raul) being unfaithful. 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. However it is clear that Arturo loses a great deal of respect for his father after he sees the way his father treats…show more content…
Arturo’s grandfather tells Arturo “I always thought your father was a cabrón.” While his grandfather is continuing to insult Raul, alongside his side of the family, Arturo can’t help but to think negative thoughts about his father. Whatever Arturo once admired about his father is squashed. The most famous quote in story, from Arturo’s grandfather is: “Let’s hope he’s not too much his father’s son.” These words seem to echo in Arturo’s head throughout the entire story. We start to see a definite change in Arturo; he has switched from being his father’s son, to being his mother’s son. In the back of his head, he knows that there is a sure chance that his parents will
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