Father’s love
In the short story, the theme of father’s love is of essential importance. Boy’s father represents a hard-working man who cares for his family. Everyday he looks after his wife, who has mental issues. Moreover, his younger son is sick and he has to take care of him. This is a unique man who really loves his family and he is afraid of losing one of it’s members. That is why he never makes scandals with his children or wife. Unfortunately, such husbands and fathers are rarity in our times. Stereotypically, men usually care of themselves and women should care about everyone, but in this case the situation is completely different. His love to his children is endless and he is the best representation of the family man.
Family
The family depicted in the short story is an unusual one. From the first sight it seems that everything is all right – mother, father and their children, but in fact their relationships are quite complicated. Father works hard and does everything his wife tells him. His mother has mental issues and she is often irritated with everyone around her, but father deals with all these humiliations because he loves her. Their kid, Nil, is seriously ill, but he is a brave young man and, despite his illness, he helps his father to look after his mother. He milks cows, and does everything he is able to in household. mother neglects all her children and cares just about her mental problems.
Madness
A mad person is extremely hard to deal with because you never know what to expect of him or her. It is important to be careful in communicating with such people, try to avoid conflicts and never provoke any. Emma, Nils’ mother, was a mad woman. She has always been irritated, complained about her life, hated her children and blamed her husband I all her problems. The atmosphere in the family was unbearable. Father was hiding from his wife on his job, but children had no place to hide. Nil, the eldest among three of them, has to do all house work, although he wasn’t good in it and although he was sick. But his mother never appreciated his efforts, his madness was killing her family and she didn’t even realize that.
Childhood
It is usually said that childhood is the best time of life, when the happiest moments of life usually happen. It is time when you don’t know evil and terror, the time when all people are considered to be good and nice and parents are the kindest creatures in the whole world. unfortunately, sometimes the realities of childhood are far from these. In the story we can see the little boy, named Nil, who fell ill and his father looks after him. The bravery with which little Nick copes with his illness fascinates. Although he feels really terrible, he doesn’t want his father to worry about him and he says that everything is all right and he feels better even if he actually was not. Nil’s childhood wasn’t the best time for him not just because of illness. His mother went mad and she hated the boy. He understood that and never complained but still the memories of his childhood wont be the best one.
