Frank o’ conor – oedipus complex

My Oedipus Complex Frank O’Connor Question: What do you think of Larry’s attitude to his father? Do you think his behavior is justified? Explain your answer. Answer: Larry in the story “ My Oedipus Complex” has a very composite character made of hardness. With very few things that he noticed and experienced in life, his conclusion to a certain topic doesn’t come up with much logic. Though he is the only child till the birth of Sonny, but due to a very coddling behavior by his mother throughout this period of his father being in the war, it became obvious to him that he is “ the boss around”. When his (Larry’s fathers) back was tuned, mother let me get a chair and rummage through his treasures. She didn’t seem to think so highly of them as he did” (O’Connor) Events of his mothers lack or carelessness made him come up with the idea that may be his father wasn’t that important. Never knowing the role of his father and living with such little knowledge he keeps guttering around in his own flow. Again, his priority was considered the most as there was no one else with his mother.

He hadn’t any siblings and was poised with a thought of being unable to afford a new person in the house. His very sense of freedom made his day and the time passed by along with his mother. Ever since Larry’s father arrives home after the war, he feels this very lack of superiority that he lived with. He was being less noticed and was stopped from coming up with his childish acts. All of a sudden he starts getting annoyed off the thoughts of being ignored by his mother as his mother had to spend more time with his father.

He had to compromise on his own share of his mother’s reaction and her response wasn’t quite what he expected. In a very small time the changes in return of things he did earlier, was growing unbearable for him. His grab on his freedom collapses as his very little intelligence couldn’t do much good to him. He tries doing things that started to be an ignorant part of his parents. He started expecting from things that was barely a part of his daily life, now even a cup of tea would matter to him. He starts feeling he is cared less in the house.

His father on the other hand was quiet calm responding to the situation, realizing that Larry is just a small child. He carried on being the quiet guy up to sometime but sooner ahead he was obvious to have lost a grasp on it. “ I see he’s better fed then taught,” (O’Connor) Stated his father concentrating on larrys reaction to things. Sooner as Sonny arrives in the scene, the tables turn as Larry concentrates on his mother and accepts the fact of his father, but doesn’t easily seem to buy the fact of Sonny consuming most of his mother’s attention then.

Throughout the whole time, his acts seemed childish because there was someone older who was compared more mature. Talking big words are easy but Larry is still a child who was cared for but not in all ways. Larry had his mother to stay busy with before but as she grew busier with his father’s presence later on, he starts thinking of what he should do to prevent his father from taking his time. He came across jealousy and his expectations kept on crawling, making him emotional and irrational at times.