In s
story, one interesting feature about the sons relationship with his father is that he is
actually closer to his fathers brother. The young man, who is the storys narrator, has decided
to study medicine because his uncle promoted this career; his father, who is a teacher, had
wanted him to become a banker. The gaps in understanding between father and son, which were
clearly present before the storys action begins, grow deeper as the father decides to
remarry.
As his fathers plans progress, a woman called Miss McCabe is
identified as a potential match; she is also a teacher. She comes to visit the Irish village
where they are staying, and moves into the cottage where the son formerly stayed with his
father, so he must now live in a hotel. The link between this physical distance and the
emotional distance is shown by the sons reaction to see his father with his new girlfriend on
his arm. This closeness makes him realize that Miss McCabe is a person, not an abstraction, and
from now on will be part of his fathers life.
When she shows generosity
toward the son, in the form of potentially supporting his future studies, rather than gratitude
he expresses his loyalty to his uncle. Ironically, the aspiring physician cannot help the ailing
woman, who has a heart condition and suffers a serious heart attack. This incident causes the
father to abandon her, showing that the son had overreacted and his father was not as
emotionally committed as he had believed. Perhaps father and son are actually alike, sharing a
lack of sentimentality.
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