What is the real happiness in a family Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

What is the real happiness in a family - Essay Example Richard Bausch’s story, â€Å"Aren’t you happy for me?† in all its simplicity gives the reader an insight into a much more complex scenario depicted by observing a incident in the life of a ordinary family. In this story the more that is revealed, the more complex the situation that the father is immersed in becomes until ultimately he realizes the gravity of a situation he had underestimated; the distance that had become undeniable in his marriage and what a difficult path his daughter had taken. A key element of the story that is used by the author is that of revelation. It is used with gravity and artfully timed in the way it deepens not only the story but the characters as well. It further thickens the plot and depicts to the reader the importance of revelation and how the transformation the characters undergo with it as they are portrayed in light of their exquisite humanness. It is this very quality which makes them heroic and at the same time flawed. The story revolves around a phone call between a father and daughter as the predicament that the daughter is in slowly unwinds as the father discovers she is pregnant and about to marry a 63 year old man who was also her professor. As he internalizes and processes the situation his daughter reveals which in all its complicated nature seems to be a reason for joy for her, greatly disturbs the father as he categorizes the predicament as severely grave; a cherry on top of the problems his life already was in. "Outside the window, his wife, with no notion of what she was about to be hit with, looked through the patterns of shade in the blinds and, seeing him, waved. It was friendly, and even so, all their difficulty was in it." (p.87) Bausch’s style is highly effective in the way that he builds on to the sense of dismay and connects to the reader, as his daughter relays to him the string of bad news. "Honey, this is a joke, right? You're playing a joke on me." (p.89.) Furthermore the reader can clearly emphasize for Ballinger as the news is spun on him with the naive child like expectation to not react to news that was clearly startling for any parent. "You're going to react, then. I wish you could just promise me you wouldn't." (p.88). Bausch’s focus on the situation at hand and not the use of external factors to highlight the internal emotional and mental state of the characters is one of the major strengths of his narration. He brings forth a very relatable scenario that portrays the internal battle between the sexes, generations and family dynamics. The volatile reaction of the father and his uncontrollable bursts of anger lead us to imagine if it was this particular trait of his that had caused rifts in his until now happy and prosperous marriage. "That's not the point. The point is that you, sir, are not much more than a goddam statutory rapist. That's the point." (p.90). It also shows how adept the author is in casting inadequate male character s; a husband whose marriage if failing and a 63 year old professor who has impregnated and is now marrying his much younger student. There are two main focuses of Bausch’s story; one that revolves around a marriage and family starting and the other on a marriage ending. "The truth was that he had news of his own to tell. Almost a week ago he and Mary had agreed on a separation. Some time for both of them to sort things out." (p. 86) One cannot help but wonder if the fury