Larry analysize free essay sample

Analysis The Character Larry In The Short Story â€Å"My Oedipus Complex† By Frank O’Connor My Oedipus Complex is a short story of Frank O’Connor about a little boy – the main character Larry – who told about his relationship and his complicated feelings around the relationship in family. One important technique that made the readers have a closer look to this character was the technique of narration. In the story, the narrator was the main character, a five year- old boy; therefore; every event was told under the boy’s eyes. Through that, the character of Larry was depicted clearly. He was not a boy didn’t know anything but he also didn’t know all, he loved the person take care him and he fight against the person take place him in his mother’s love and attention. In order to have close look to this character, first of all, we should discuss about â€Å"the most peaceful period† in his life which was the time before the coming back of his father from the First World War. With this child, he didn’t know about the awful of war. He also didn’t know the important of father in family, lack of father in the early life is the unlucky with any child, but he didn’t know about that. The reason is that he was too young, the war took his father up to the age of 5 year olds and in the wartime, every man must go to war so he couldn’t see the role of father in other families. The memories of him about his father was few, he found that his father liked Santa Clause. This comparison can make readers surprising; however, it’ was rather true because father â€Å"came and went mysteriously†. The readers may smile in the first moment reading it but after that, they would be sympathy with the boy’s situation. Living in a house only have him and his mother, he found himself have responsibilities with the daily routine. Without father in home, Larry became an accompany friend of his mother to everywhere she went. â€Å"What mother and I should do during the day† and â€Å"what steps should be taken to brighten the home†, these thought must belong to the person not only wanted his mother take care him but also wanted take care his mother. That might be the character of a person wasn’t passive, didn’t only get surrounding people’s care. He was also an imaginative boy, he called his left leg was Mrs Left and his right leg was Mrs Right. Maybe in the boy’s world only have him and his mother – a female person and he felt familiar with his mother than everyone else so  he called them was ‘Mrs’. This call expressed his character in some extend. With two legs, he had Mrs Right more demonstrative than Mrs Left and let them discuss about the problems of the day. Why did he build Mrs Right and Mrs Left? Maybe, the desert of sharing feelings of him was very big and it was not enough to share his feelings with only his mother. And, children still do something what adults may think stupidly as some little girls like talking with dolls. However, that Larry created the conversation between Mrs Right and Mrs Left was the clever initiative, which not all children can do. According to Kobus, â€Å"Although Larry seemed happy; he did not really have the opportunity to interact with other children his ow n age. It seems that in order for Larry to cope with his problems and boredom he would often resort to visiting with Mrs. Left and Mrs. Right†. Besides, the boy was the childish boy. Pretty naive is another character of him like every other child. He compared the Geneys’ baby to a cheap baby. He didn’t know the mother couldn’t have baby with herself alone, she needed his father. The little knowledge of him was not the thing to discuss because every child was. However, the important thing was that the boy looked everything and told his story with the childish eyes, with the boy’s eyes. He always expressed what he thought and that is the character of this child. His inner feelings were rich. The boy’s daily routine wasn’t only some acts like getting up, going into mother’s room, having breakfast, and going with mother but he also spent a little time to enjoy natural surrounding through his window. The boy wasn’t passive, he not only expressed his feelings about surrounding he also described surrounding. He lived close with nature. The evidence is that he compared himself â€Å"like the sun, ready to illumine and rejoice†. This comparison in some extend expressed his optimistic and through this comparison the readers felt the peaceful life of him and the important role of him to surrounding people. A boy was used to living without having father with the daily routine because for a long time, the father was in war and the boy never saw father much. What happen when the father return? Of course, the life was mixed up the boy had some changes in his life which caused his complicated feelings. He disliked his mother talking to his father and found him like â€Å"boring visitor†. In other words he was not only unfamiliar with his father but also jealous with his father. The boy found unfamiliar with father in the way he put off a uniform which  he usual in when he met before; in the way he came in to dinner that before only had Larry and Mother. Moreover, he was jealous when mother take time she usual with him for his father. She spent time in talking with his father, â€Å"looked anxious† when talking with his father. The boy told that he â€Å"disliked her looking anxious, because it destroyed her good looks†. Maybe, he was unfamiliar with this image of mother, too. According to Larry, he only saw his mother with care about him, with sweet voice. Being the person not passive, the boy always interrupted his father and his mother. He wanted to notice mother’s attention. In this way, there was a conflict between him and his father to win mother’s care. Sometimes, the readers may think the boy did exaggerate the conflict between him and father, but the conflict between them deeper and deeper meant that there was no compromise between them. Maybe the father also liked the boy because he was unfamiliar with having boy in the relationship between him and Larry’s mother and every change must have time to solve. Maybe, the father was also childlike, he was also jealous the boy, too. With any reason, the conflict between father and son was attractive with readers and through it, the readers understood more about children like Larry. In the state of jealous mood, some children can act with little conscience, but Larry was different. He observed every action surrounding cleverly and sensitively. Larry could recognize changes on his mother anxious. Moreover, he always noticed the mother’s voice to estimate mother’s feelings and attitude. At the first time when he interrupted his parents, when mother said â€Å"gently† he realized immediately she usually said gently when having boring visitor so he continued interrupting. The misunderstanding of the boy was unavoidable because he and his parents had never gathered around before but it showed his logic thought. And when mother said â€Å"impatiently†, he disappointed and he thought that God was misunderstanding his prayers. This thought express another character of Larry, he always wanted to explain why something happen to him. And in another time, at the tea time, when mother said â€Å"impatiently† with him, he also explained: â⠂¬Å"It was clear that she either genuinely liked taking to father than talking to me, or else that he had some terrible hold on her which made her afraid to admit the truth.† Overall, these were the childish explanations of a little boy. A child, although he had to try express himself in front of people, he was till a child. He found the way his father  put paper down and told his mother something new of it at the tea time was a foul play, not fare with him. In his mind, he thought the struggling for mother’s attention between him and father was â€Å"man for man†. He had not only little individual in the character, he also selfish and stubborn. He always wanted mother belong to only him like before the returning of the father. Sharing mother’s care with father made him uneasy. He wanted the peaceful time with mother again therefore he wanted God sent Daddy back to the war. In this case, he did not only explain the fact, he found solution for the fact. However, when understanding the fact, father would not back to the war he explained based on God again. He thought â€Å"God wasn’t quite what he was cracked up to be†. And some sweet words from mother couldn’t make him decrease his stubborn. He still interrupted parents, woke father from sleeping in the morning, even giving him several kicks. After the coming back of his father, he till continued doing some daily habits like before such as wake up at the usual hour, invent conversation between Mrs Right and Mrs Left, enjoy nature surrounding, and climbed the big bed. However, there were some differences in these familiar actions. Firstly, he didn’t feel like the sun when waking up any more, he felt like a bottle of champagne. This comparison expresses his feelings ready to burn and want to share his love. Secondly, the conversation between Mrs Right and Mrs Left was long and about father and son relationship. In the conversation, he expressed the hope on the Mrs Right’s talk; he wanted to send father to the right place. Thirdly, he also looked at surrounding nature but it seemed faster than before. Lastly, he came into Motherâ €™s room but he couldn’t talk to mother much like before, mother always wanted him quiet. These changes have caused the changes of his role with his mother. With his jealous and selfish, he did his habits in some differences. The selfishness and stubbornness of Larry was bigger and bigger. He called parents was that pair: â€Å"The way that pair went on smothering my early morning schemes-was like burying a family from the cradle†. He shouted with his mother. Event, he bawled with his father: â€Å"Shut up, you† and â€Å"Snack your own†. In normally, the boy told these words with parents was the bad boy. However, when looking at a 5 year-old boy in his situation we will think different. The returning of father was extremely strange with him. My mother only told him pray for the safety come back of father but she didn’t tell the reason. Moreover, when the father  took him for a walk, he though everything would be improved but the father had some action made him disappointed. He didn’t tolerate with his son’s feelings. Everything happened after that only made him more disappointed. Father scolded at him but he did not think that father taught him, he still thoug ht father liked a visitor. Mother always answered him when he asked; she didn’t explain for him anything. I think it is true with the father said â€Å"I see he’s better fed than taught†. After receiving failure with many trying to have mother’s care, he â€Å"made a point of dropping into their bedroom and nosing around† so parents wouldn’t know. And the clever child realized an important thing but he didn’t named: â€Å"It seemed to depend on being grown – up and giving people rings, and I realised I’d have to wait†. And with the childish thought he decided solve the problem like the thing he was beat. He said with his mother: â€Å"I’m going to married you†. He couldn’t have awareness about what he said; he only thought simply that that way he could win mother’s love. Larry is, a little boy, similar to Oedipus – a character in an old Greek legend who kills a man without knowing that the man was his fathe r and married the man’s wife without knowing that she was his mother fight with his father to win mother’s love with the hope that: â€Å"one day father’s hold on her would be broken†; and he wanted to marry with his mother to have all her love. He was not crazy with that thought because he was too young, he didn’t understand everything and these childish thought were logic in the look of a boy. Having a new member, Sony, was another change happened in Larry’s family and this change affected not only Larry but also his father. In accidentally, the change solved the conflict between father and son. Larry was still selfish as he was. Before the returning of father, he did want to have a baby to brighten his home. However, now, his family had one more member, he disliked him with the same reason as he did have with father because Sony took too much time of his mother. And he had a solemn warning with his father: â€Å"If another bloody baby comes into this house, I’m going out†. This clever action of Larry made father quite nice to him. In new situation, Larry became understanding the father more. The father was kicked out the big bed and Larry tolerate with him. Larry said â€Å"There! There!† to comfort the father. This action express Larry’s grow-up, he know tolerated with his father and know how to comfort him in the sense of his thinking. In generally, Larry was a child had rich inner feelings and  individuality. He was not only active, sensible, responsible, and clever but also selfish, stubborn, and jealous. Particularly, childish character was expressed in each sentence in the story. Through the Larry character, the readers understand more about the relationship in family, the relationship between the children and parents. The story in some extend also showed the awful of war. The war separated the members in family, made them strangely.