Camille Mihalchik
AP Literature
August 29, 2014
Creating relationships
between two characters is often a main concern when writing a book. Important
relationships can portray to the reader from the beginning, what the book is
about and how the characters act. Often times, the connection and understanding
between father and son is something that cannot be replaced, so in order to
make sure that John Ames' son knew him and his background, he writes his
autobiography, which contains their relationship as father and
son. In Gilead written
by Marilynne Robinson, Reverend John Ames writes this autobiography to his
toddler son who may not get to know his father all so well as he grows into a
man since his father is ill. Overall, this shows the bond and relationship
that can be held between father and son and how sacred it truly is, ultimately
what John Ames was hoping to keep with his son even when he becomes deceased.
As John writes his
autobiography, his main purpose is to impose wisdom on his son about his
previous experiences, life, and religion, so that as his son grows older, he is
able to keep some part of his father with him. John Ames states, “I told you
last night that I might be home sometime, and you said, Where, and I said, To
be with the Good Lord, and you said, Why, and I said, Because I’m old, and you
said, I don’t think you’re old. And you put your hand in my hand and you said,
You aren’t very old, as if that settled it. I told you you might have a very
different life from mine, and from the life you’ve had with me, and that would
be a wonderful think, there are many ways to live a good life” (Robinson 1). This
quote depicts to the reader how John Ames was able to simply explain to his son
about why, how, and when he was going to leave, also giving his son a learning
experience as he learns at a young age how to deal with his emotions as people
come and go in and out of his life. His seven-year-old son reacts in a way that
shows how strong their young and developing relationship is. His son does not
think John Ames is too old to go, ultimately showing to John Ames and the
reader that his son loves his father and wants him to stay in his life.
John Ames devoted his life to
his family and his job as a reverend. Through these two things, John Ames
acknowledges that he does not have a great life and does not live in a great
town, yet he has his son to thank for making all of the troubles somehow get
better. John Ames states, “I’m writing this in part to tell you that if you
ever wonder what you’ve done in your life, and everyone does wonder sooner or
later, you have been God’s grace to me, a miracle. You may not remember me very
well at all, and it may seem to you to be no great thing to have been the good
child of an old man in a shabby little town you will no doubt leave behind. If
only I had the words to tell you” (52). This quote exactly explains how John
Ames viewed his son and what he meant to him. This shows how the both of them
were able to view each other’s existence and that’s an important thing to have
in a father son relationship. This also shows how John Ames views himself with
regards to his son. John Ames defines himself as an old father who no longer
has the ability and money to give his son and wife a good life. John Ames hopes
that his wisdom and intelligence that he writes to his son will makeup for some
of the things that he has lacked as father.
Some parents always wish and
have the need that their children can be or do something special, while others hope
that they can be special, but are simply fine if they are not. John Ames is the
latter of the two. John Ames states, “ I have said at least once a week my
whole adult life that there is an absolute disjunction between our Father’s
love and our deserving. Still, when I see this same disjunction between human
parents and children, it always irritates me a little. (I know you will be and
I hope you are an excellent man, and I will love you absolutely if you are not)”
(73). This shows their relationship in the light that Ames loves his son to the
point where he has faith and has hopes and wishes the best for his future, yet
he will still acknowledge and love his son if he does not end up to be anything
special. It shows that their relationship is something special and it wraps up
the whole book in the sense that the relationship between father and son is
sacred and a father is an important thing for a young boy to have as he grows
up. All fathers wish that their son can grow up and be something special,
taking with them the lessons and intelligence that the father has taught him.
Overall, this shows how strong and how great of a father John Ames is because
although his son will not grow up into a man with his father present, he will
still have a book in which he can continue to read and learn from his father.
John Ames shows the undying love, bond, and hope that he will always have for
his only son.
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