Thompson states, “He functions well with ‘no help,’”(4). The Misfit kills his father out of neglect, and self-worthlessness. The Misfit feels unloved, like most children do when their parents do not pay attention to them and care for them. Both parents in “Miles City, Montana” also neglect their son, Steve Gauley. First, Steve’s mom leaves Steve and his father, and then his father in turn still neglects his own son. Munro writes, “His fatherhood seemed accidental, and due to the fact that the child had been left with him . . . seemed accidental,”(471). If this does not seem wrong enough, Steve’s father only gives him enough money to live off of. They live their own separate life. What kind of parent would do this to his/her own flesh and blood? It is also stated by Munro, “His father was . . . a drinker but not a drunk,”(471). This is one possible reason why Steve is neglected, and is probably why so many children are uncared for in this world today.Rebellious children can also stem from bad parenting. In one case of rebellion, Sartoris Snopes goes against the beliefs of his family. Sarty “tries harder and harder to persuade himself that his father will change,”(334) as stated by Bradford. Sarty believes that his father will change, but finally realizes that his father will always stay the same man. Sarty reveals to De Spain that his father is burning down De Spain’s barn. Sarty’s rebelliousness is good, because Abner needs to set a good example for children, not a bad example, and due to Sarty’s virtuous mentality, he will never be like his father. Mosley 4Joy rebels against Mrs. Hopewell, her mother, by changing for name legally without her consent from Joy to Hulga. Mrs. Hopewell feels Joy has “thought and thought until she had hit upon the ugliest name in any language”(O’Connor 397). In all actua...
