Family Unit 3

"The Drunkard"
Frank O' Connor

Frank O' Connor definitely knows how to make a story twisted as he proved to do so in The Drunkard. I felt as though the author foreshadowed to what the lives of the characters might hold in the future. At first, I just viewed the father as an irresponsible man with a drinking problem. However, I grew to dislike the father more and more throughout the story. When the father was oblivious enough to not notice his son taking sips of his alcohol, I really did not care for the father. As his son became more central in the story, I started to see the literary technique of foreshadowing come into play. The morning after the little had a drink, the mother called her son, "my brave little man" (O'Connor, 351). I feel as though this could perhaps foreshadow to the fact that the little boy is in for an interesting future given his father's history. The boy's mother fears that her son will turn out like his father, and she is trying to prevent this from happening. The little boy has already had his first drink, and I have a feeling that it will only be a matter of time until he has his next drink.