On July 31, 1961, Harry Crews experienced a father’s worse nightmare of becoming an orphan to his own son. At the age of four Patrick Crews was found face down at the bottom of his neighbor’s pool leaving behind his mother Sally, father Harry, and a younger brother Bryon to get through the hardship as a family. The tragic loss of Patrick made Harry think this terrible incident was his fault filling him with guilt. He believed he was the reason of Patrick’s death and could not see any other reason as to why he died. Just as Harry was going crazy his family stepped in forcing him to raise his other son. Even though he made bad decisions like leaving his son Bryon in the rain because he was drunk, his family forgave him despite his imperfections.
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Leaving Harry with thoughts that life is not worth continuing. He blamed himself for the death of Patrick pondering the thought if he didn’t get back together with Sally then Patrick would still be alive. But, if he did not get back together with Sally Bryon would not exist. Harry and Byron would not have the bond they share and Harry would not of known how important family is. Harry holds on to the memories of Bryon as a kid because he wants him to stay that way. He wants to go back to the time where he could still beat Bryon running the hills of New York. He thought he would always just win and then the day came when he beat him first he was pissed but then he was proud. He was growing into a man but even when he became a man “If I live to be 70, he’ll still be my boy at 40” (Crews,182). Harry loves Bryon so much and wanted to and still wants to protect him, leading him to the right path to have a steady stable life. This leads to the setting at the end of the story with Harry visiting Bryon at college wishing he didn’t grow up so fast. Trying to change his dreams of dropping out of college for guitar but finally accepting his boy’s dreams “ There it is. The father has his dream. The son has his. And a dream is unanswerable. All you can do for a man with a dream is wish him well.”(Crews,182) . That’s exactly what he did; he wants Bryon to be happy because it makes him
Leaving Harry with thoughts that life is not worth continuing. He blamed himself for the death of Patrick pondering the thought if he didn’t get back together with Sally then Patrick would still be alive. But, if he did not get back together with Sally Bryon would not exist. Harry and Byron would not have the bond they share and Harry would not of known how important family is. Harry holds on to the memories of Bryon as a kid because he wants him to stay that way. He wants to go back to the time where he could still beat Bryon running the hills of New York. He thought he would always just win and then the day came when he beat him first he was pissed but then he was proud. He was growing into a man but even when he became a man “If I live to be 70, he’ll still be my boy at 40” (Crews,182). Harry loves Bryon so much and wanted to and still wants to protect him, leading him to the right path to have a steady stable life. This leads to the setting at the end of the story with Harry visiting Bryon at college wishing he didn’t grow up so fast. Trying to change his dreams of dropping out of college for guitar but finally accepting his boy’s dreams “ There it is. The father has his dream. The son has his. And a dream is unanswerable. All you can do for a man with a dream is wish him well.”(Crews,182) . That’s exactly what he did; he wants Bryon to be happy because it makes him