Richard Dirda Character Analysis

Dirda includes many details of his father that emphasize his character. His father is a hard worker and wanted his son to succeed in life. “My father, a soul ravaged by discontent, always prey to righteous indignation and of a brooding temperament, daydreamed that his children, especially his only son, would accomplish great things in the world” (Dirda 390). This quote captures his father’s advice. “Sometimes, while my mother put my three sisters to bed, Dad would invite me to scrunch down next to him in the cream-colored recliner (with special Magic Fingers vibrating action) and look through the pages of an old illustrated encyclopedia or a Sears catalogue” (Dirda 392). Dirda’s father considered reading a bonding moment between the two and