“Deep-Holes” is a deeply intellectual short story; on the surface (of the hole), this slice of literature seems to be about a narcissistic father, a mediating mother, and their hipster, poseur-esque son, but is really trying to convey the cavernous symbolism that is represented by the deep-holes. The deep-holes in the story represent something much larger than a pit in a field; id est the complexity of family relationships and bonds, the gaping void of genuine love in the family that Alice Munro has conjured - particularly the ravine-like divide between Alex and Kent. The deep-holes represent the shadowy cave that is revealed when one loses their sense of self much like Kent and Sally did. But in contrast, the deep-holes represent the rejection
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Like Blanche (7).” Blanche is a fictional character in 1947 award-winning play A Streetcar Named Desire. The character Blanche DuBois - former schoolteacher from a wealthy family - had been evicted from her family home, after the deaths of several family members. Blanche arrived, penniless, in Louisiana to stay with her sister and brother-in-law. She had a series of meaningless affairs to numb the grief or he husband's affair and suicide, and was soon thrown out of her hometown, deemed a "woman of loose morals" after a relationship with one of her students (Wikipedia: Blanche DuBois). Kent, while not explicitly forced to leave his home, felt suffocated by the pressure of following the path between the holes. To further expand, the path between the holes represents the static course the society and its branches expect everyone’s life to reflect; go to school, join a team or club, pick a major, go to college, get a job, start a conventional family, retire, and die. From the moment a person is born their fate has been decided for them; both Blanche and Kent reject this outline in their own ways. Kent ghosted his family, Blanche “acted out” and found happiness in the arms of various men. Behind her facade of highcaste sexual security, much like Kent, Blanche was deeply insecure, an aging woman …show more content…
At this point, he seems to be only part of the way to the roots of his individuality, a fraction of the way into the hole; dropping out of college for a job as a retail worker, while frowned upon, is not something society completely rejects and Sally seems to accept it - she had not seen him in months, to criticize him was not the first thing on her mind. However, this was the first thought for Alex. Even from the beginning of the story, Alex is annoyed by Kent, “Alex said [...] Kent was a troublemaker and the possessor of a dirty mind (3).” This is displayed again after Kent’s recovery; each time Kent said, “‘Honor to the man who saved my life’ [...] or ‘Home is the hero’ [sincerely] it got on Alex’s nerves. Kent got on his nerves, had done so even before the deep-hole drama”; when Alex hears of Kent’s Canadian Tire job in relation to his newfound “desire for independence” he is critical, “He can get a bellyful of it, as far as I’m concerned (6,7).” This highlights Alex’s annoyance and shows that Kent, in between the fall and disappearing from college, was sorely lacking in terms of a father figure. This pivotal disconnect is what originally led him to strive to please his father, but as he wrestles with what he really wants, or at least thinks he wants, he falls deeper into the hole and loses his sense of self. In a large
Like Blanche (7).” Blanche is a fictional character in 1947 award-winning play A Streetcar Named Desire. The character Blanche DuBois - former schoolteacher from a wealthy family - had been evicted from her family home, after the deaths of several family members. Blanche arrived, penniless, in Louisiana to stay with her sister and brother-in-law. She had a series of meaningless affairs to numb the grief or he husband's affair and suicide, and was soon thrown out of her hometown, deemed a "woman of loose morals" after a relationship with one of her students (Wikipedia: Blanche DuBois). Kent, while not explicitly forced to leave his home, felt suffocated by the pressure of following the path between the holes. To further expand, the path between the holes represents the static course the society and its branches expect everyone’s life to reflect; go to school, join a team or club, pick a major, go to college, get a job, start a conventional family, retire, and die. From the moment a person is born their fate has been decided for them; both Blanche and Kent reject this outline in their own ways. Kent ghosted his family, Blanche “acted out” and found happiness in the arms of various men. Behind her facade of highcaste sexual security, much like Kent, Blanche was deeply insecure, an aging woman …show more content…
At this point, he seems to be only part of the way to the roots of his individuality, a fraction of the way into the hole; dropping out of college for a job as a retail worker, while frowned upon, is not something society completely rejects and Sally seems to accept it - she had not seen him in months, to criticize him was not the first thing on her mind. However, this was the first thought for Alex. Even from the beginning of the story, Alex is annoyed by Kent, “Alex said [...] Kent was a troublemaker and the possessor of a dirty mind (3).” This is displayed again after Kent’s recovery; each time Kent said, “‘Honor to the man who saved my life’ [...] or ‘Home is the hero’ [sincerely] it got on Alex’s nerves. Kent got on his nerves, had done so even before the deep-hole drama”; when Alex hears of Kent’s Canadian Tire job in relation to his newfound “desire for independence” he is critical, “He can get a bellyful of it, as far as I’m concerned (6,7).” This highlights Alex’s annoyance and shows that Kent, in between the fall and disappearing from college, was sorely lacking in terms of a father figure. This pivotal disconnect is what originally led him to strive to please his father, but as he wrestles with what he really wants, or at least thinks he wants, he falls deeper into the hole and loses his sense of self. In a large