Essay Questions

How does the narrator’s father undermine his ex-wife’s mothering skills? What is the intent of undermining her?

The narrator states, “I told her (his mother) I was leaving and she blocked the door, so I grabbed the phone and ran to my room.” His father replies, “So today’s the day she decides to start being a mother.” The response indicates that the narrator’s father considers his ex-wife a bad mother. He condemns her in front of her son to give the impression that he is a better parent than her so he deserves his sons’ custody; in fact, the response brainwashes the narrator into thinking that his mother is not good.

Deconstruct the father’s mode of discipline after the narrator gets into a fight at school.

The narrator recounts, “He stripped his belt from the belt loops, whipped it back. After the first lash I knew my father had hit me with the buckle. After the second, my hand having reached around to block the blow, pain ripped from my finger, up my arm, into my neck. He dropped the belt, wrapped both hands around my throat. My chin tucked. Drool swung from my lip. Tears and snot ran into my mouth. He held me inches from my own reflections, threatened to smash my face.” The spanking is extreme and scary for it exposes the narrator to bodily injuries. The father's action refutes is early covert suggestion that he is a better parent when compared to his wife. He is dangerously violent:perhaps the violence contributed to his divorce. Violence such as his breeds fear instead of instilling discipline. The narrator concludes that his father's intention is to hurt him rather than discipline him. Bodily harm and unnecessary spanking are not ideal modes of discipline.

Why does the narrator slap himself? What is the implication of the slapping?

The narrator recounts, “In the mirror I remade my face with sorrow. This will get us free, I told myself. This was what they needed from me. With my right hand I slapped my right cheek. The left cheek with my left hand, then again, harder, alternating sides, following through a little further each timer so that eventually my head turned hot not from the flinch but from the blow... My father kept clicking until the button stuck. After they developed, we chose five of the Polaroids to show Child Protective Services.” His father convinces him to assault himself so they can take pictures of the aftermath of the assault are use them as evidence of his ex-wife's abusive tendencies. He and his sons are conscious that she is not abusive but they are intent on framing her using flawed, convincing evidence. Authorities may rely on misleading evidence to grant custody to the wrong parent. The narrator and his brother are too naïve to diagnose that their father intends to manipulate them so that they can hate their mother.