My Oedipus Complex: Method Of Narration Jennifer Wright 11th Grade

My Oedipus Complex by Frank O’Connor is a short story in which the method of narration drastically impacts the success of the story. The story begins with Larry and his mother having a normal day. Their bond is clearly demonstrated as is the way Larry’s father is alienated from him. When his father returns from the ear, however, Larry believes he and his mother’s relationship is at risk. Larry begins acting out in petty attempts to gain his mother's attention. It soon becomes apparent to the reader that Larry is in love with his mother. The arrival of a new baby once again changes the family dynamic as Larry and his father come to a mutual understanding and empathy is developed between the two. The author clearly conveys Larry as innocent and naive making him appear more sympathetic towards the reader.

Larry’s father is rarely at home, going home from war once a year at most. Larry makes his father out as being “like Santa Claus” enforcing the idea that he is rarely seen and only appears annually. Larry suggesting his father “mysteriously” appearing demonstrates Larry’s misunderstanding of the adult world as his father is, in fact, fighting in the war. Ironically, Larry describes this time of violence as being the “most...