Essay Questions

Deconstruct James' explanation of his father's reaction towards chicken. - "In the Fall"

James explains, “My father is always uncomfortable around them (chicken) and avoids them as much as possible. My friend Henry Van Dyken says that my father feels that way because he is Scottish, and that Scotsmen are never good at raising poultry or flowers because they think such tasks are for women and that they make a man ashamed. Henry’s father is very good at raising both.” Dyken’s explanation implies that the reaction is ascribed to James’ father’s background which socialized him to regard chicken farming as a woman’s role. Accordingly, he would not comfortably tend to chicken because it would violate the beliefs he holds regarding them.

Why does the narrator’s mother invoke God during arguments? What is the irony of the invocation? - “The Boat”

The narrator explains, "Thereafter my mother would launch a campaign against what she had discovered but could not understand. At times, although she was not overly religious, she would bring in God to bolster her arguments, saying, "In the next world God will see to those who waste their lives reading useless books when they should be about their work." Or without theological aid, "I would like to know how books help anyone to live a life." If my father were in, she would repeat the remarks louder than necessary." The invocation of God is ironic considering that the narrator's mother is not a religious woman. She invokes God to appeal to moral authority which would discourage her family from engaging in activities which God would not approve of. She reckons that involving God would make her children and husband to stick to their conservative lifestyle instead of embracing modernity.