They are both missing someone to mother their kids. Also, one is more mature and one shows what the future looks like for the other father. The dad in "Little Things" is serious and determined and the dad in "Today Will Be a Quiet Day" is more relaxed and likes to joke around with his kids. the father in "Little Things" acts childish when he fights for the baby, "He felt the baby slipping out of his hands and he pulled back very hard" (Carver 332). The father does not care if his kid is hurt when he pulls on the baby, he just cares that he takes the baby from the mother. Where in "Today Will Be a Quiet Day," the father tries to change the subject with jokes, he says, "Don 't the two of you know any jokes? I haven 't laughed all day" (Hempel 660). He does not like when his kids are sad. The "Today Will Be a Quiet Day" family likes to joke around and pick on each other, but when they do, they do it in a loving way. For example, "Who will ever adopt you if you don 't mind your manners?" (Hempel 661). The father in "Today Will Be a Quiet Day" jokes with kids, but is also parenting his kids and making them act right. We know the two dads are at two different times in their life. One dad is enjoying the time he has with his kids and the other is fighting over his kid. Being serious and making the conflict intense causes the plot of the story. Being calm and joking around causes the …show more content…
One dad is at the start of a breakup while the other dad has lived through the breakup, causing them to be opposite characters and have the same missing member in their family. The dad in "Little Things" is serious and determined and the dad in "Today Will Be a Quiet Day" is laid back and lets his kids choose. The dad in "Little Things" caused the plot while the dad in "Today Will Be a Quiet Day" caused the setting. Both of the stories can relate to each other and can relate to people in real life. Even though the father in "Little Things" made a wrong choice, he can still have a satisfying relationship with his kid in his future life. Real people have dilemmas similar to the two fathers, which they can learn from and make their future