The Father and The Son
Uncertainties from the past on an individual can create an impact that lasts longer than what seems to be reasonable and can resurface in life by a more powerful experience which triggers the memory. In the story A Few Notes for Orpheus, Gus feels disturbed by his own father’s inability to show that he cares, despite having a daughter himself. He further expresses his views when his daughter Cathy met him for the first time, where he showed obvious jealousy towards his father’s attitude towards his daughter. The events that happen in the story later reveals his cold attitude towards his daughter due to the lack of love he received from his father. This could be seen as ironic because he overlooks some of the key evidence…show more content… Instead, Gus does not appear to comprehend this fact, where he uses the same type of parenting towards his own daughter. In the beginning of the story, during the meeting between his father and Cathy, he shows little to no emotions other than the pure jealousy he has; his own desire to be accepted by his own father. He often uses the word “the kid” for addressing his own daughter which shows an evidence of indifference and a sense of detachment toward her, where readers first notices the walls that Gus set around himself. This could be further seen when Cathy is fishing for the first time. Instead of caring and encouraging her like a normal father would, his mind and attention was not at all on her. This is similar to how his father treated him. “He wasn’t around when I tried my stunts…” and instead he simply let his mind ponders to his father instead, showing a sense of possessiveness. “So easy for her to get his approval.” This is evident that Gus is treating his daughter the same way as his father treated him in the…show more content… In the story he describes his father as a “quiet man”, which he was taken by surprise when his father yelled at him. He had the necessary training yet he hesitates to save his own daughter, thinking that his father was going to rescue her instead. Ironically, even though he continues to hold onto his anger, he unconsciously thought about the time when he purposely jumped down, and his father was there to save him. This hints that Gus unconsciously know about his father’s care and further emphasized after Gus pulled her daughter on board, he realize his father was sweating. In the story, he continues to describe him as a polite man which he describes earlier in the story that he detests the way his father always looks at him in a polite way. “He never laughed. Just the damn polite smile.” By overlooking these evident moment of caring, which perhaps the reader now realize as well, it shows Gus remain angry than to forgive by not noticing his father’s true intentions. Gus had not learnt how to love unconditionally without considering himself first and is shown when he states “I had to go up. I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t want to drown. I didn’t want to die. I really didn’t….” This relates back to the title where it mentions it’s “a few notes for Orpheus.” This ironic since Orpheus is known to love someone with his entire heart, which Gus contradicts this