In the short story “Father and Son” by Bernard MacLaverty the reader slowly learns and analyzes the relationship between the unnamed father and son; learning more about this toxic connection one can begin to break down the story plot point by plot point.

 

Exposition: Quote 1
“I love him so much it hurts but he won’t talk to me. He tells me nothing I hear him groan and his eyes flicker open. When he sees me he turns away, a heave of bedclothes in his wake” (MacLaverty 165).

The darkness that lurks over the sheets shows the feelings he has for his dad, and the light through the curtains is the relationship his dad longs to have.

Inciting incident: Quote 2
“I know in a few minutes my father will come and check on me” (MacLaverty 165).

He is persistent in his sons well being but he doesn’t know he’s only losing him more.

RA1:Quote 3
“Then, on the radio, I hear he is dead. They give out his description. I drink milk. I cry. But he comes in for tea” (MacLaverty 167).

One sees the glass of milk much like the father, alone in the dark.

RA2:Quote 4
“The door swings open and he pushes the hand-gun beneath his pillow” (MacLaverty 169).

He would rather assume then think what he saw was correct, a closed door for was once was the worried fathers dream.

RA3:Quote 5
“It’s 10’clock the news begins. Like a women I stand drying a plate watching the headlines” (MacLaverty 169).

He begins to dry the plates like his wife did once before, showing the light she brought to the household as the tension in the short story begins to build.

Climax: Quote 6
“There is a bang. The dish-cloth drops from my hand and I run to the kitchen door” (MacLaverty 169).

The cloth represents his responsibilities, proving he would be there for his son in a heartbeat.

Falling action: Quote 7
“The house is open to the night. There is no one else. I go to him with damp hands” (MacLaverty 169).

Open and vulnerable with nothing left to hide, much like the unnamed father at the end.

Resolution: Quote 8
“My son, let me put my arms around you” (MacLaverty 169).

He is at the least humbled, as he begins to surround his son in the love he always needed.