My Fathers Life By Raymond Carver - 858 Words

HIS FATHER’S SON The Short Story â€Å"My Father’s Life,† by Raymond Carver illustrates the difficult task of a son trying to find his own sense of identity and individualism while watching his father’s life unravel. Carver explores the relationships of his parents and his own struggle with sharing the same name with his father and the similarities and differences between them. THE GREAT DEPRESSION AND WESTWARD MIGRATION Clevie Raymond Carver Senior moved to Washington state at the height of the depression in 1934. The author Raymond Carver Jr. speculates that when his father moved to the Pacific Northwest he was not â€Å"Pursuing a dream,† (Carver, 382) he believed that his sole motivation was â€Å"Steady work for decent pay† (382). This†¦show more content†¦The author speaks of the shame of having the only outdoor toilet in the neighborhood, driving the oldest car in town but he also mentions the trips to Seattle they took as a family and how memorable that was for him. Carver had a complex relationship with his father that began with sharing the same name. Everyone is trying to find their own identity in life, For sons who are named after their fathers this seems to be a more difficult task. When Carvers father left the family to work in northern California it was the start of his decline, but it was also a turning point in his relationship with his son who was starting to find his own way in life. Thoughout his dads illness Carver married and started his own family but he mentions â€Å"During those years I was trying to raise my own family and earn a living. But, one thing and another, we found ourselves having to move a lot.† (Carver, 387) It is here that we realize the path that Carver is taking is very similar to the one he watched his father take while growing up. His own struggles with alcohol and money seem to be a repeat of his fathers mistakes. Carver tries to connect with his father one Christmas and speaks to him about wanting to become a writer. His fathers advice is to â€Å"Write about stuff you know about. Write about some of those fishing trips that we took.†(Carver, 387) but Carver seemed to put him off when he asked to â€Å"Send me what you write† (387) with the belief that his fatherShow MoreRelatedA Brother s Murder By Brent Staples And My Father s Life978 Words   |  4 Pagessame mistakes. In literature many writers have been influenced by their families two great examples are â€Å"A Brother’s Murder† by Brent Staples and â€Å"My father’s Life† by Raymond Carver, both writers express in great detail how families have shaped and affected them as individuals. The essay â€Å"A Brother’s Murder† by Brent Staples basically shadows over the life of Brent staples and his younger brother Blake who has lost the battel of the streets to death. Unfortunately Brent’s early years were hard andRead MoreMy Fathers Life1094 Words   |  5 Pagesquickly, a whole family can be on the edge of destruction. This is exactly what Raymond Carver describes in his novel â€Å"My Father’s Life† from 1984. In his novel, Raymond Carver describes his father’s life, starting with his death and continuing with how he met his wife. The story goes on, telling about their poor life, his alcoholism, gambling and his unfaithfulness. The father is named Clevie Raymond Carver and he is roughly described as a drunkard, who has a hard time finding work and stayingRead MoreMy Fathers Life1110 Words   |  5 Pagesand quickly, a whole family can be on the edge of destruction. This is exactly what Raymond Carver describes in his novel â€Å"My Father’s Life† from 1984. In his novel, Raymond Carver describes his father’s life, starting with his death and continuing with how he met his wife. The story goes on, telling about their poor life, his alcoholism, gambling and his unfaithfulness. The father is named Clevie Raymond Carver and he is roughly described as a drunkard, who has a hard time finding work and stayingRead MoreGood Ole Days Essay examples617 Words   |  3 Pagesrough, such as when the child gets sick. The father is also there to teach the child right from wrong and also to teach the child how to survive in life. On the other hand, a dad is someone who just helps a woman to produce an offspring. He’s never there in the child’s life unless he has to be or is forced to be. In Raymond Carver’s â€Å"Photograph of My Father in his Twenty-Second Year† there is a son and a guy who is supposedly the kid’s father. Although the father wanted to be viewed as a good roleRead More Raymond Carvers poem Photograph of My Father In His 22nd Year1010 Words   |  5 PagesTheme of Raymond Carvers poem Photograph of My Father In His 22nd Year Growing up we all had expectations of who we should be imposed upon us by our parents. Whether or not we achieved those expectations upon reaching adulthood isnt really the final outcome. There is a greater lesson learned regardless of how we benefited from the imposition. And that realization is what truly shapes our final character. Raymond Carver entertains this topic in his poem, Photograph of My FatherRead MoreWhat We Are Who We Should Be: Literary Realism1132 Words   |  5 Pagescovered and prevents us from seeing.† This quote by Jean Cocteau provides an accurate summary of realism in American literature. Authors such as Raymond Carver and William Faulkner strived to expose their readers to defects, either internal or external. Their literature puts humanity under the microscope, and allows the reader to examine their daily life from a safe distance. Under examination, many shortcomings can be uncovered. Occasionally, an author will not only reveal these flaws, but provideRead MoreMy Papas Waltz And Photograph Of My Father1460 Words   |  6 Pagesforcing him to be a good role model for his son. However, many fathers fail to be a positive role model for their sons which can skew their perception of an ideal father figure. In the poems â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz† written by Theodore Roethke and â€Å"Photograph of My Father in His Twenty-second Year† written by Raymond Carver the theme of a father-son relationship is central to both poems. These two poems are both similar yet different than one another. Both describe a father and son relationship but how the sonsRead More Disjunction versus Communion in Raymond Carvers Short Stories3821 Words   |  16 Pages Disjunction versus Communion in Raymond Carvers Short Stories Raymond Carver, poet, essayist, and short story writer, was very different from some other writers in that he clipped his writing until only the essential remained. Carver not only acknowledged the effect that fiction could have on readers, he proclaimed that it should affect readers.( Bonetti 58) Thus, when Carver writes about intimate relationships, the reader perceives the stories as more than entertainment or skillfulRead More An Analysis on the Similarities and Differences in Raymond Carversâ€Å"A Small Good Thing† and â€Å"The Bath†2727 Words   |  11 Pages In Raymond Carvers The Bath and rewritten version of the story entitled A Small, Good Thing, the author tells the same tale in different ways, and to different ends, creating variegated experiences for the reader. Both stories have the same central plot and a majority of details remain the same, but the effects that the stories have upon the reader is significantly different. The greatest character difference is found in the role of the Baker, and his interaction with the other charactersRead MoreLove in Literature2486 Words   |  10 Pagescharacter development is evident in Raymond Carver’s â€Å"Cathedral†. The narrator of the story, who is ignorant and closed–minded, encounters a blind man whose name is Robert. Robert recognizes the narrators cl osed-mindedness, but is not repelled by it, in fact he seems drawn to the narrator. Robert helps the narrator to open his mind to the world, and to see more than just what is there but to also see the beauty of it. The narrator is transported out of his mind â€Å"I was in my house. I knew that. But I didn’t