The narrator’s father
A distant, conventionally masculine parent whose approval the narrator both craves and resents.
To preserve his own freedom and a conventional idea of family masculinity.
The book
Who they are in the book
Spoiler-freeThe narrator’s divorced father is emotionally unreliable, adulterous, and more comfortable with conventionally athletic traits. His distance intensifies the boy’s longing for male approval.
How the book draws them
- Well groomedHe carries the ease of a successful mid-century professional.
- Emotionally reservedHis attention is inconsistent and difficult for the narrator to secure.
- Conventionally masculineHe represents the role the narrator believes he cannot fill.
- UnreliableHis adult freedom repeatedly comes at an emotional cost to the family.
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