Woody was fourteen years of age when Pop took off with Halina, who worked in his shop, leaving his difficult Christian wife and his converted son and his small daughters. He came to Woody in the back yard one spring day and said, “From now on you’re the man of the house.” Woody was practicing with a golf club, knocking off the heads of dandelions. Pop came into the yard in his good suit, which was too hot for the weather, and when he took off his fedora the skin of his head was marked with a deep ring and the sweat was sprinkled over his scalp—more drops than hairs. He said, “I’m going to move out.” Pop was anxious, but he was set to go—determined. “It’s no use. I can’t live a life like this.” Envisioning the life Pop simply had to live, his free life, Woody was able to picture him in the billiard parlor, under the “L” tracks in a crap game, or playing poker at Brown and Koppel’s upstairs. “You’re going to be the man of the house,” said Pop. “It’s O.K. I put you all on welfare. I just got back from Wabansia Avenue, from the Relief Station.” Hence the suit and the hat. “They’re sending out a caseworker.” Then he said, “You got to lend me money to buy gasoline—the caddie money you saved.” (Excerpt from "A Silver Dish" by Saul Bellow)
Analysis
The story by Saul Bellow, "A Silver Dish," explores a sense conflict thematically and stylistically. As the protagonist, Woody, struggles psychologically and as a member of society, the structure of the text demonstrates similar patterns. The text combines elements of colloquial speech with philosophical musings about human nature, and also incorporates the emotions of the main character. The result are conversational prose that mirror the back and forth movement of the story. The paratactic rhythm creates a flow, stringing the prose together. Bellow's prose frequently lead into verse, doing so without interrupting the overall movement of the text.
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