erent, they also have many similarities. They both care for and worry about the other. Fenstad is worried about is mothers mental capacity: Quickly he checked her apartment for any signs of memory loss or depression (page 117). Mrs. Fenstad is also worried about her sons mental well-being; Hows your soul, Harry? (page 117). Each has a genuine concern for how the other is handling life. Mrs. Fenstad makes comments about Harrys divorce from his ex-wife, Eleanor and about the new woman he is dating, Susan. Mrs. Fenstad seems to feel as if her son is not really happy with his love life; he does not spend enough time thinking about himself. Fenstad thinks that his mother spends too much time thinking about other people and not thinking about herself as much as she should. They try to help each other realize the downfalls in their lives.An important element of the story is that the author rarely refers to the characters using their first names. Mrs. Fenstad calls her son Harry and Fenstad introduces his mother as Clara, but when Baxter is telling the story he usually refers to the characters as Fenstad and his mother. I think this is significant because the reader is able to see more of themselves in the characters. Almost everyone has a little Fenstad in them as they also have elements of Fenstads mother in their characters.As I stated in my thesis, the two characters complement and develop each other. They are mother and son, so naturally they have some qualities that are alike. The character traits that are different are still similar. Each one is set in their own ways. Mrs. Fenstad believes in sacrificing the self for the good of humanity, Fenstad is more personally goal-oriented. They work well together, though. They make each other think about the different possibilities that life holds....
