Hannah Elliott
Mr. Clarke
ENG 3U
March 6, 2018
Grudging Relationships: T.C Boyle's "Balto"
Different Relationships. Husband to Wife. Father to Daughter. Girlfriend to Boyfriend. There are many different relationships portrayed in life. You need relationships to keep moving on in life, so you do not become lonely. Not all relationships are stable, some result in heartache and pain, some have a constant grudge and some are not trustworthy. Most healthy relationships are based on trust and respect. From that becomes love and affection for one another. Often some relationships are misinterpreted, by someone who is outside looking in. Sometimes a son or daughter's perception of their parent's relationship may be different as to what is actually …show more content…
He'd been late before- he was almost always late, because of work, because he had such a hectic schedule- [...]
(He's just drunk. I bet that's it, just drunk like mom said) and she had to tell her (Lisette) didn't know what she was talking about, there he was. (63-64)
Struggling with having to accept the fact that her father had not been trustworthy when telling her and Lisette his whereabouts, Angelle becomes less and less trusting of her father. Which is yet another sign of a poor communication resulting in an untrustworthy relationship. Legally, a child who is 16 or under may not drive, even if your guardian is intoxicated. Edgar Allan Poe, their father breaks this rule, therefore becomes untrustworthy with the authorities again. He's walking a fine line between arrest and charges. When he picks up the children from school, it flashes to where he is giving Angelle driving lessons that she told him she did not want, this then suggesting she may have had to drive. Boyle uses foreshadowing here to make us wonder and want to keep reading. "‘Go ahead it's easy.' he told her. ‘Like bumper cars. Only don't bump into anything'"(64) He is not a trustworthy man, which may be why their mother left him for France. We talk a lot about trust on any given day, and how hard it is to gain back. How one little lie can hurt someone, and ruin a …show more content…
"Because"- the words were stalling, congealing, sticking in his throat- "because, hey, why lie, huh? I wouldn't lie to you" [...] "I was, I had lunch with Marcy, because, well, you know how hard I've been- and I just needed to kick back, you know? Everybody does. It's no sin." A pause, his hand going into his pocket and then back to her hair again. "And we had some wine. Some wine with lunch." He gazed off down the street then as if he were looking for the tapering long-neck green bottles the wine had come in as if he were going to produce them for evidence. (65)
He wanted to fix his mistakes and get better with his girls, but one mistake can scar someone. Unfortunately, what he says next, does not help his case. "I don't think I can drive" (66) Here a least he is making an effort to keep his daughters safe, but his alcohol problem makes the situation sensitive. The girls know everything, despite what he thinks when he told them ‘everything' he was really just confirming the truth for them. Edgar Allan realizes his mistakes and tries to redeem
Mr. Clarke
ENG 3U
March 6, 2018
Grudging Relationships: T.C Boyle's "Balto"
Different Relationships. Husband to Wife. Father to Daughter. Girlfriend to Boyfriend. There are many different relationships portrayed in life. You need relationships to keep moving on in life, so you do not become lonely. Not all relationships are stable, some result in heartache and pain, some have a constant grudge and some are not trustworthy. Most healthy relationships are based on trust and respect. From that becomes love and affection for one another. Often some relationships are misinterpreted, by someone who is outside looking in. Sometimes a son or daughter's perception of their parent's relationship may be different as to what is actually …show more content…
He'd been late before- he was almost always late, because of work, because he had such a hectic schedule- [...]
(He's just drunk. I bet that's it, just drunk like mom said) and she had to tell her (Lisette) didn't know what she was talking about, there he was. (63-64)
Struggling with having to accept the fact that her father had not been trustworthy when telling her and Lisette his whereabouts, Angelle becomes less and less trusting of her father. Which is yet another sign of a poor communication resulting in an untrustworthy relationship. Legally, a child who is 16 or under may not drive, even if your guardian is intoxicated. Edgar Allan Poe, their father breaks this rule, therefore becomes untrustworthy with the authorities again. He's walking a fine line between arrest and charges. When he picks up the children from school, it flashes to where he is giving Angelle driving lessons that she told him she did not want, this then suggesting she may have had to drive. Boyle uses foreshadowing here to make us wonder and want to keep reading. "‘Go ahead it's easy.' he told her. ‘Like bumper cars. Only don't bump into anything'"(64) He is not a trustworthy man, which may be why their mother left him for France. We talk a lot about trust on any given day, and how hard it is to gain back. How one little lie can hurt someone, and ruin a …show more content…
"Because"- the words were stalling, congealing, sticking in his throat- "because, hey, why lie, huh? I wouldn't lie to you" [...] "I was, I had lunch with Marcy, because, well, you know how hard I've been- and I just needed to kick back, you know? Everybody does. It's no sin." A pause, his hand going into his pocket and then back to her hair again. "And we had some wine. Some wine with lunch." He gazed off down the street then as if he were looking for the tapering long-neck green bottles the wine had come in as if he were going to produce them for evidence. (65)
He wanted to fix his mistakes and get better with his girls, but one mistake can scar someone. Unfortunately, what he says next, does not help his case. "I don't think I can drive" (66) Here a least he is making an effort to keep his daughters safe, but his alcohol problem makes the situation sensitive. The girls know everything, despite what he thinks when he told them ‘everything' he was really just confirming the truth for them. Edgar Allan realizes his mistakes and tries to redeem