Fenstad's Mother

A detailed Summary of Fenstad's Mother

In Fenstad's Mother, by Charles Baxter, character is a very essential element to the story. The main character, Harry Fenstad, is a complicated person, but it is his mother, Mrs. Clara Fenstad, who I feel is a more important and complex person. In this brief paper, I will explain why it is my opinion that both of these characters play a crucial role in the story by complementing and developing each other's character.

Fenstad career is a brochure writer, but he also teaches an extension English-composition class at the downtown campus of the state university. He attends church regularly, and his passion is ice skating. I know that these may seem like simple ways to describe a character I have referred to as complicated, but there is so much more that lies beneath these plain descriptions.

Fenstad says that he likes to teach because "he liked teaching strangers and because he enjoyed the sense of hope that classrooms held for him" (page 117). Harry seems to be a very distant person in that he likes to be around people who do not really know him. He would much rather be an observer than a very active participant. When he goes ice skating in the beginning of the story, there are a lot of people who are s

Fenstad's mother, Clara, is a character quite opposite from her son. She is older and does not get out of her house much. She used to be very active in politics and loves to be around people. She has a kindness and generosity that instantly attracts other people. When she begins to visit Fenstad's logic class, the students seem to be more interested in what she has to say than in what Fenstad is trying to teach. Mrs. Fenstad is aware and understands her own magnetism and tries not to take too much attention away from her son.

kating, but he can blend right in. He hs a few friends, but they are very similar to Fenstad. They like the same things and have the same attitudes about life. Fenstad does not want to seem to deviate from his own normal way of life.

Even though the two characters are very different, they also have many similarities. They both care for and worry about the other. Fenstad is worried about is mother's mental capacity: "Quickly he checked her apartment for any signs of memory loss or depression" (page 117). Mrs. Fenstad is also worried about her son's mental well-being; "How's your soul, Harry?" (page 117). Each has a genuine concern for how the other is handling life. Mrs. Fenstad makes comments about Harry's divorce from his ex-wife, Eleanor and about the new woman he is dating, Susan. Mrs. Fenstad seems to feel as if her son is not really happy with his love life; he does not spend enough time thinking about himself. Fenstad thinks that his mother spends too much time thinking about other people and not thinking about herself as much as she should. They try to help each other realize th

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Approximate Word count = 1114
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English