Disputes with his wife or children are often resolved by physical violence which he believes is not only condoned but mandated by God, and he enjoys his position as reverend, even though John views him as merely a "holy handyman" who is called upon when no one else is available. In all matters, he holds his family's will subservient to his own. Any deed he does not approve he quickly classifies as wicked or sinful and, therefore, prohibited. Gabriel interprets the father's role as protector: to feed, to clothe, to provide shelter, and to insure the holy status of his family's souls even if he must beat them into compliance. We discover that Gabriel apparently endorses the popular, biblical notion of family structure at that time which dictated that the male has the power in the family. When the reader is introduced to Gabriel, he remains unnamed through the descriptive perspectives of his children, John, Roy, and Sara, and his wife, Elizabeth.
At first glance, Gabriel is easy to dislike and easier yet to misinterpret.
0 kommentar(er)
