Stew's Relationship In Tiny Smiling Daddy

In America, over 3.8% of the population identifies as a gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. This has become more common as the years go by, but in the short story, “Tiny Smiling Daddy”, it was unaccepted by one specific character, Stew. Stew is the father of Kitty, and Kitty identifies as a lesbian. Throughout the story, Stew shows strong emotions towards his daughter and her sexuality. One might infer that his strong emotions come from his life as a kid, with his family. There were a few characters in the story that had a big part in his actions towards Kitty, one of them being his own father.
Stew did not have a very good relationship with his father as a child. He admired his father greatly, constantly trying to talk to him, and study his face. He seemed like a peaceful, friendly man, but as soon as Stew would try to talk to him, he would instantly get rejected. “He had loved to stare at the big face with its deep lines and long earlobes, its thin lips and loose, loopily chewing jaws. Its almost godlike stillness and expressionlessness filled him with admiration and …show more content…
On the other hand, Stew felt the complete opposite. He thought she was a total disgrace, to the point where he even physically abused her. “He punched Kitty and knocked her down. Marsha tried to stop him, and he yelled at her. Kitty jumped up and leapt between them, as if to defend her mother. He grabbed her and shook her, but he could not shake the conviction off her face” (4). This quote also proves how Stew’s father impacted his actions. Stew’s father would swear at him, and give him dirty looks. Also, Stew’s father died when he was very young. Even though he was very cruel towards him, he missed him very much. “When a father dies, he is gone; there is no tiny, smiling daddy who appears, waving happily in a secret pocket in your chest” (9). The death of his father turned his whole life upside down, and he especially let it out on