How does Ellison represent the father-son relationship in The Black Ball?

John is an intelligent man capable of complex thought. John is also an incredibly loyal man who deeply loves his one and only son, who he dutifully watches over. When he is not working at his job as a janitor, John spends most of the rest of time awake with his son. However, John is deeply worried about the state of the world and how poorly Black people are treated in the United States. As a result, he does his best to insulate his son from many of the same heartbreaks he has experienced in his life. The father son realtionship is based upon love, the father is mentor, teacher, and protector.