There are several common themes in the Short Takes essays Confession by Stuart Dybek, Kind of Blue by Sebastian Matthews, Son of Mr. Green Jeans by Dinty W. Moore, and The Spinners by Michael Datcher. These themes include:
1) There is no "perfect father", such as the father in Leave It To Beaver.
2) The breakdown of the family. This theme is especially apparent in Son of Mr. Green Jeans (Divorce, p. 284).
3) Fathers often turn to alcohol when they are unable to live up to the stereotypical ideal of what a father should be (as shown by the priest in Confession p. 278, and the father in Kind of Blue p. 280).
4) All human fathers are flawed, especially as compared to animal fathers. This is emphasized in Son of Mr. Green Jeans (Carp p. 284, Emperor Penguins p. 284, Male Breadwinners p. 287, Penguins, Again p.288).
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1 comment:
Good examples. So what CONCLUSION can you draw here. What do all four of these authors seem to be getting at? What is their point or thesis?
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