Like Father In Alden Nowlan's The Glass Roses
Like Father, Like Son? We all have reasons for acting or behaving in a particular way, something that prompts us to do what we do. Motivation is essential to progress and achieve success in life; it is what drives us to change our lives for the better. In Alden Nowlan’s short story “The Glass Roses”, the protagonist, Stephen, faces internal conflict between his desire to live a fulfilling childhood, and his desire to fit his father’s stereotypical definition of being a ‘man’. When he encounters Leka, a Ukrainian man, he is introduced to alternative pathways and realizes that there is more to life than what his father has exposed him to. Through the character of Stephen, Alden Nowlan develops the idea that individuals often continue to pursue
…show more content…
Stephen enjoys hearing Leka’s stories but fears that “his interest in such stories [is] childish”, so he ensures that none of the other men are witnessing or listening to his childish behavior. Stephen is fascinated in the stories told by Leka, but on the other hand, he believes listening to them and truly enjoying them makes him less of a man. Through Leka’s stories, Stephen becomes hopeful that there are alternatives for him, as he realizes pulp-cutting is not suitable for him. At one point, Stephen thinks to himself that “for as long as he [lives], he [will] kneel beside a tree, a slave to the monotonous rhythm of the pulpsaw”, expressing dissatisfaction towards the lifestyle that awaits him. When he uses an axe, he is “pretending to be something he [is] not, something he might never be.” Despite this, he continues to exert pressure and work strenuously, until Leka tells him “the world would not come to an end if it took us all day to cut this one tree down” which is unlike anything Stephen has ever been told. While Stephen’s father constantly tells him to “start actin’ like a man if [he] wants to hold down a man’s job” because “there ain’t no room for kids in the pulp woods”, Leka tells him not to try so hard and makes him realize there is much more to life beyond these woods. With the absence of a feminine presence in the story, Leka is the closest to a motherly figure for Stephen. He cares for Stephen and “pinches his cheek” or “throws an arm across his shoulder” playfully; however, Stephen’s father and the other men begin to notice this and do not approve of
Stephen enjoys hearing Leka’s stories but fears that “his interest in such stories [is] childish”, so he ensures that none of the other men are witnessing or listening to his childish behavior. Stephen is fascinated in the stories told by Leka, but on the other hand, he believes listening to them and truly enjoying them makes him less of a man. Through Leka’s stories, Stephen becomes hopeful that there are alternatives for him, as he realizes pulp-cutting is not suitable for him. At one point, Stephen thinks to himself that “for as long as he [lives], he [will] kneel beside a tree, a slave to the monotonous rhythm of the pulpsaw”, expressing dissatisfaction towards the lifestyle that awaits him. When he uses an axe, he is “pretending to be something he [is] not, something he might never be.” Despite this, he continues to exert pressure and work strenuously, until Leka tells him “the world would not come to an end if it took us all day to cut this one tree down” which is unlike anything Stephen has ever been told. While Stephen’s father constantly tells him to “start actin’ like a man if [he] wants to hold down a man’s job” because “there ain’t no room for kids in the pulp woods”, Leka tells him not to try so hard and makes him realize there is much more to life beyond these woods. With the absence of a feminine presence in the story, Leka is the closest to a motherly figure for Stephen. He cares for Stephen and “pinches his cheek” or “throws an arm across his shoulder” playfully; however, Stephen’s father and the other men begin to notice this and do not approve of