For English 11, I had to create a graphic novel or comic based on  “Father and Son” by  Bernard MacLaverty.  A father and son  struggle to maintain their  unstable relationship, broken with  distrust and  miscommunication.  But as a parent, the father ‘s love and care persists throughout to the end.

1) Exposition

“This is my son who let me down” (165)

This quote introduces the father and son’s relationship with each other, as well as builds the emotional setting of the story. The father is disappointed and heartbroken over his son. These important details that this quote reveals is fit for the exposition because it establishes who the main characters are and provides insight on how the story will unfold.

2) Rising Action

“I want you to talk to me the way I hear you talk to people at the door” (166)

This quote dives deeper into the unstable relationship between the father and son. It reflects how the son does not treat his father with respect, and that they are both hurt by each other.  This is part of the rising action because the conflict between the characters is building up, and the anticipation for the climax is growing in the story.

3) Rising Action

“I pulled you away from death once and now you will not talk to me” (166)

The father’s thoughts in this passage reveal that the son has had a near death experience. This adds some complexity and depth to the entire situation the characters are in, which further contributes to the growing conflict. Despite the fact that the son is not talking to him, his father still deeply cares and tries to resolve their issue. This is part of the rising action as it develops background information to the story and elevates the main complication.

4) Rising Action

“My mother is dead but I have another one in her place” (167)

This quote gives some insight as to why the son is so angry at his dad most of the time. He feels that with his mother gone, his father has changed and no longer cares for him. This is part of the rising action because the anticipation is again rising, and it gives more background knowledge to the reader.

5) Climax

“My son is lying on the floor, his head on the bottom stair, his feet on the threshold” (169)

The son has been shot, and his father rushed over to see what happened. All the foreshadowing and growing suspense has lead up to this major incident. His son has had a near death experience in the past, a gun is kept under his pillow, and both family members rely on drugs while dealing with depression. The son’s death is the final main event that uses all the built up suspense to create a powerful impact on the reader. This quote demonstrates the climax of the story, as it is the part with the highest anticipation, the point in which the whole story has led up to.

6) Falling Action

“I take my son’s limp head in my hands and see a hole in his nose that should not be there” (169)

After the climax, the story begins to wrap up some details and the conflict slowly reaches a conclusion. Here, the author utilizes imagery to show the reader what has happened to the son. It is the aftermath of the big conflict, after the gunshot.

7) Falling Action

“The news has come to my door” (169)

This quote ties in with the rising action that built up the conflict. The dad always worried that the news reporters were speaking about his son, believing that he was dead if he did not return home for a few days. Now, the news has come to his door, meaning that the news of his son’s death has finally arrived.

8) Denouement

“My son, let me put my arms around you” (169)

The author resolves this story by ending with the father sorrowfully embracing his dead son. As tragic as this ending is, the father putting his arms around his son creates that image of parental love and care that indicates that their story has reached a final conclusion.