The story takes place in a rural community. This is shown by the barber shop. When the child goes into the shop with his mother the barber asks how the boy's father is doing. The family that the story revolves around is a poor family. We know this because in the end if the story the mother says that they don't have money (442). It also is hinted that the father dose not have a good job because the mother complains that he doesn't do much.

There is more than one type of conflict going on it the story. Other than the parents fighting for the Childs affection, there is a competition going on between the parents. Both of the parents want the child to love them. They both have their own ways of trying, but when this occurs the child looses his status as an individual and becomes an obje

The father is also jealous when the mother gives the hat. When she dose the father tells the boy that they will go for a walk. To the boy this is a very big thing because he feels that he is becoming a man. The walk is the father's way of countering the mother's attempt of buying the boy. He has told the boy about the woods before and when the father tells the boy that he will take him there the boy is very excited. The mother doesn't understand how the father can win over the boy so easily. She thinks that the only way to make the boy like her is to but him things.

This is illustrated when the story tells how happy the boy is to stand next to the father and just wait for his father to feed him something. When the mother notices this she tries to get the boy by buying him some thing. When she dose and the boy is happy, she is happy. Also when the boy gets the hat he wants to show it to his father. He stands next to the table until he gets his fathers approval (441). Then when the hat gets stained the stain resembles the tainted relationship between the mother and the father.

The mother in the story is has very different views than the father. She is more interested in material things. The mother knows how much the boy is attracted to the father. She is very troubled by this. The mother really wants the boy to be on her side,

Some common words found in the essay are:
Leslie Noris, tells boy, boy boy, father tells, master card, father tells boy, mother boy, shown barber shop, boy father, childs affection, family story, hat stained, father dose,
Approximate Word count = 915
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)