Moises Mendoza Dev com 36A My Son the Murderer Moises Mendoza Dev com 36A

Author by Bernard Malamud (1914-1986) Born in Brooklyn Bernard Malamud taught high school until the 1940’s. He began a long and distinguished career as a university teacher. His major titles are the novels The Natural (1952), The Assistant (1957), The fixer (1966), and Dubins Lives (1979).

Introduction/Setting Coney Island, New York Leo’s house, in Harrys room It was winter time during February The streets were wet, cold and deserted, few people on the streets. 1960’s during the vietnam

Rising Action Father and Son live like strangers. Father takes a vacation, to stay home and spy on son. He is worried about sons intuition. Father reminiscing on the past. Son rejecting with a high pitch tone voice. Harry takes off to the street angrily and his father following his filled him even with more rage.

Climax Getting home Leo figured Harry was in his room. He took Harry a letter from the draft-board and into Harrys room. As Leo was reading his sons mail Harry walked into the kitchen. He saw the surprised and guilty look on Leos face he tore the other letter out his hand. As Harry was leaving the house he told his father “I ought to murder you the way you spy on me” and “if you do this again don’t be surprised if I kill you!”

Falling Action Father went into sons room and found a paper saying “ if you write me another letter ill murder you.” Worried, Leo left the house running, until he seen Harry and followed him half a block behind. He followed him until getting to Coney island, ran to him when he seen him in the shore with his feet in the water and apologized, for opening the letter.

Resolution As Leo is frighten and still trying to figure out what is wrong with Harry, he asks his son to have mercy on his life, but Harry had no response. Leo chased after his hat for a while until he finally caught it, breathless and crying he returned to his son at the edge of the water. He noticed his son is a lonely man, that’s the type he is and gives him a speech about how life's hard, but better to be alive than dead because once dead you cant do nothing. Leo went home, told Harry to come home, but he stood there motionless and speechless.

Characters Harry (main) quiet, rude, misunderstood guy who keeps everything inside. Leo (main) stays the same loving father who always gets pushed away when trying to figure out what’s wrong with Harry. The mom (minor) and sister(minor) aren’t really mentioned in the story it just says the mom is gone all day looking after the daughter witch is going thru a bad pregnancy. All the character are static characters, they don’t change.

Types of conflict Internal: Leo/father is fighting a fear of son wanting to hurt himself. External: Leo/father spy's his son everywhere he goes. Leo pushes Harry to far to make him talk.

Theme Failed communication between the family. The brother and sister never talk to each other, he doesn’t respect her as a sister and sees her as another mother. Very little communication between mom and dad.