MY OEDIPUS COMPLEX
"Life is hard, you're just afraid of change," is what the late, great Shannon Hunh, of Blind Melon, wrote, and it is just how Larry feels in Frank O'Connor's, "My Oedipus Complex." In this short story, Larry, a five year old boy obsessed with his mother, suddenly sees a drastic change in his life when his father returns home from war. The tension between father and son grow until yet another change, ironically, brings them closer together. As a result of his Father's return, Larry shows signs of jealousy, immaturity, and plain rudeness. When the reader hears the story through Larry's perspective, there is definitely a connection and understanding of what is going on. The reader feels sympathy, amusement and gratification. Change comes to hurt Larry at the beginning, but another change helps him and his father more than he knows.As the story is told by Larry, it is easily seen that he has no idea of what or who a Father is supposed to do. He becomes jealous of this stranger who suddenly steals his Mother's love and attention away from him. Larry is used to seeing this man in a Santa suit, but on the day of his return he changes into a blue suit. Mother seems happier than ever, but Larry's feelings are
This point of view of a naive, foolish five-year-old boy is perfect in getting this message across. The reader can relate to the feelings of how attached young children get with one of their parents. Especially one who has not lived with his Father and suddenly falls into this extreme change in lifestyle. He becomes jealous and rude not knowing what has really happened. He has never lived this way, with a man in his Mother's bed. Change is the only thing that ever stays constant. And a change happened. A change that brought the first change (Father) and him closer together as opposed to farther apart. As Larry tells the story, the reader feels sympathy, amusement and gratification towards him. The reader feels sympathy when Larry first sees a change in his usual schedule. When Mom tells him to be quiet and not to wake daddy, Larry thinks to himself, "This was a new development, which threatened to be even more serious...Life without my early morning conferences was unthinkable"(438). Larry cannot face the fact that his Mother has changed. He cannot believe the woman who was once open to him being on the bed with her was now telling him to be quiet and not to wake daddy. Because of this Larry begins to feel angry which in turn can be felt as amusement for the reader. When Larry demands that he wants a cup of tea and Mother says he can just drink out of her saucer, Larry replies, "That settled it. Either Father or I would have to leave the house. I didn't want to drink from Mother's saucer; I wanted t
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Approximate Word count = 1026
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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