Father-Son Relationship In 'Reunion And Powder'

It Takes Time to be a Perfect Dad in a Broken Family
According to Pope John XXIII, “It is easier for a father to have children than for children to have a real father.” This quote makes sense because people know that men can have children if they want, but some of them do not know how to act as a real parent and some of them are afraid to take their responsibilities if they already have a family. In addition, sometimes the family that a man and a woman build does not work because of the different circumstances or issues that a father and a mother have. Two such short stories are “Reunion” and “Powder”, these stories are about the father-son relationship in a broken family. The “Reunion” by John Cheever ends in a way with the son’s disappointment
The “Powder” is the story of a young man and his father’s adventure on a ski trip at Mount Baker. The young man’s parents are separated similarly to the first story; the father has guaranteed to bring back his son to his mother before the Christmas Eve dinner. The mother is angry to the father for sneaking her son into a nightclub just to see the Thelonious Monk. Nevertheless, the father fights for his son’s privilege of his company and chooses to have some last runs that cause them to become trapped in a snowstorm. The young man wishes that he was at home. “I could see everything. The green tablecloth, the plates with the holly pattern, the red candles waiting to be lit,” says the son (301). The young man seems shy to speak to his dad, “I was supposed to say, “Right, doctor,” but I didn’t say anything” (301). He is always thinking in advance and calculating the risks of his movements and the careless actions of his father. Also, he seems more organized unlike his dad “I was a boy who kept his clothes on numbered hangers to ensure proper rotation. I bothered my teachers for homework assignments far ahead of their due dates so I could make up schedules,” the young man said