The Harness By Ernest Buckler example essay topic

English 12 - Short stories "The Harness" by Ernest Buckler 1. "The Harness" (could not find original publication on internet) 2. Ernest Buckler- had "The Harness" reprinted from the Rebellion Of Young David and Other Stories. Canadian publishers reprinted his story from the book several times. He is a Canadian writer himself. 3.

David, is the protagonist in the story, he is a seven-year-old boy. David is the son, of the second main character in the story, Art. In the first paragraph, I noticed something about David, he wasn't a normal little boy, "Has a look of accusing innocence when he is a asleep". That sentence jumped out at me and I thought, wait a second, this boy is going to get more and more interesting. David had a look of "isolating violence", (mentioned in the first paragraph as well) and he would lash out and have a dark look in his eyes.

He would have dreams where he would call out to his dad, as if he was being abandoned, "wait... wait up, Art". David and his dad do not have a normal father son relationship; he treated his father like a "pal". David acted like an adult and reasoned with his dad like an adult. Art is the second main character in the story. He is a single parent, his wife died when David was born. He has a deep sincere love for his son, he almost feels stupid when he thinks about how much he loves him, "The thought of laying a hand on him- well I just couldn't do it".

He and David were "supposed to reason things out", from what iv experienced, seven year olds and parents do everything but reason things out. Art is different to most fathers, he thinks of his son as fragile and "vulnerable". Art is the narrator, although not the main character; the story is supposed to put David into perspective, and he becomes the most important part in understanding the meaning of the story. Sometimes Art would let David down without even realizing it. 4. Both David and Art are fully rounded characters; they are dynamic and change from the beginning of the story, into different people at the end.

They both realize something at the end that instantly creates them as dynamic people. The author reveals Art as a close observer and thinker, and David as a funny little boy, but both are rounded and, would be good characters to analyze. Art knows his son well and studies his movement and behavior; this lets me study David too. The characters are consistent in their theme; their traits are evident throughout the story but always evolving. They are believable, because they are natural, there's nothing-crazy happening in their lives. They just calmly understand each other at the end, no car chases or bombs exploding, just a father and his child going through an important experience.

The characters are motivated; their story is motivation in itself. The characters do justify their roles in the story, they are realistic and create a emotional conflict that is not over done. It is a calm story, in a clam setting so it is more realistic to me. Art is a normal dad, he just has problems disciplining David. David is a little boy who is just confused and needs attention. 5.

The main conflicts in the story are from an emotional point of view, as well as a moral stand. David and Art have a strong emotional bond; they communicate and get along well with their bond. In the end they change the theme of their attachment but it is still emotional and important to them. Part of the story has a moral point of view.

When Art "spanked" David, it was a huge deal because it changed their outlook on each other. 6. The setting is not hugely important in this kind of story, although it does have some meaning. The setting is isolated; they live in a more rural area where fencing has to be put up. Usually a more rural area is a good place to raise a child because they are not subjected to the large schools, pollution, and uneasiness of the cities. Even though this may be true, David does not fit in well with the other children, he clings to his dad; he is David's support, if David is "left behind".

The fence and the horse have some meaning in the setting of the story. The fence is where the David disappears and it becomes a second "hook" In the story. The fence is defiantly a constant in the story and needs to be there to justify both the character actions. The dead horse has an impact in the setting.

David grows pale at the sight of it, and it defiantly holds meaning for him, and therefore, for me. 7. Art is telling the story from a narrative point of view. He is a good narrator, because he is the only one that knows the protagonist well enough to portray him to me (the reader). The advantages are that, Art is a justifiable character; I do not think he has many biases towards his own son, making him believable.

His point of view is first person, he is talking about himself and his son, his experiences and observations. 8. The plot of the story is that David starts to rebel and he is crying out for a father figure in his life. He doesn't want Art to be a pal anymore he wants a dad. The father and the son to come to terms, and figure out what their relationship was, and what it should be. They come to peace with their new realization, and both characters are happy.

Does the story have artistic unity- yes. Everything in the story is completely relevant to the conclusion, and the understanding of a deeper meaning to the story. The ending is unusually happy to the reader; to the characters the story ends perfectly. 9. There is a consistent theme throughout the story, father and son connect and renew their special relationship. They are heading towards an emotional breakthrough.

David needs his father to be there for him and to pay more attention to him. I believe that it is implicit and explicit, some things are obvious and are meant to be obvious, and a lot of the meaning is hidden in the actions of David and the thoughts of Art. It reinforces a popular notion of life, because little David is the kind of kid that always gets left out, and is a little bit different. He is always the kid that gets used for his toys, and doesn't get to play with the others.

10. The story utilizes irony, in that the two characters do not consider themselves to be in a son, father relationship. They reason in an abnormal way, compared to the normal father, son reasoning "tactics". They find themselves only at the end of the story.

11. The story makes use of symbols, the horse is a symbol to Art, because it affected David and furthered the plot. The horse shows that David needs to be a child and face his fears and vulnerability's. The fence is also a symbol, in the beginning, it unites the two characters, in the middle it separates them, and in the end it unites them again, in a figurative way. The harness has a symbolic meaning in the story too, may be the most important symbol, because it represents Art's protection over David, he is caring for him but not really treating him like a father should. I do not think the symbols carry the meaning; they reinforce the meaning so that we come to a better understanding.

12. The narrator regularly quotes his son; this adds texture to the story because it is more descriptive and personal. The content of the story has a lot of good imagery and vivid descriptions, "the brackets of it's ribs and the chalky grimace of it's jaws stared whitely in the bright sun". Again the author goes back to the horse in the story, this must mean that the horse has some meaning, and the author was very descriptive in capturing the feeling and the mood, while David looks at the skeleton.

The words the author uses are important; they are very descriptive and are used to capture the reader's attention. That is important in a story because it needs to distract us to the point that we want to keep on reading. 13. I thought the story was well written, it was very descriptive, and I was "hooked" off the first four sentences. It appealed to me, because I can relate to the father in a distant way. David reminds me of a four-year-old boy I know, he has a similar personality and similar traits, "His body would seem to vibrate with obedience.

His friendship would be absolutely un withholding". Then the next minute, .".. without any warning whatever, he'd become possessed by this automatic inaccessible mutiny". The figurative descriptions in the story pulled me in, and I was drawn to the story. The story was a good piece to analyze and break down, I like to do that with movies and stories, I enjoy the interpretive side, and this story was defiantly interpretive. The story seems real because, especially Art's actions are simple and realistic. David is going through changes and is happy at the end of the story, it is a quiet kind of happiness though, and not something that would be celebrated or talked about, but something to be remembered.

The story seems real, it is a realistic point of view from Art and we can relate to him. The theme is consistent throughout the story, and is sensible, because it is a story that was well written and I think many people would find it an interesting one. Art is very descriptive towards his son, he makes many observations, and he uses good imagery to create a picture in the reader's mind. I also have a good image of Art, from what he says to the kind of things he thinks.

You can tell that he is a calm thoughtful person who cares deeply for his son, but has to figure out how to raise him in a way that will ensure he has a good father figure in his life. The symbols in the story support the imagery and the theme, because they are an important part of the story. They carry meaning, and this helps the reader understand though a "hidden" meaning, making the story more interesting. The story is interpretive, because it is a story about the journey two characters make towards a new understanding.

It has many symbols and meanings that do not jump out at you at first. The author was good at making you think about what he was writing. Instead of just telling you what the story was about, he explained it through vivid imagery and descriptive words. I thought the story was good, because it defined a father and sons relationship, and the stages they had to go through before workings things out. Art had to learn to be a father figure, and David was happy that he got to be a child, he was set free from the adult image he had to present to his father to keep him happy.