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1. Catholicism Analysis- Andre Dubus’ short story, “A Father’s Story” reflects many of his beliefs about Catholicism. As a Catholic he was committed to the rituals and saw a great value in them that others did not. He embraced daily Eucharist as well as the rosary and devotions at a time when many wanted to move away from those things. Dubus did not want to be “seduced” by the material world, and he maintained that closeness to God led to more peace and happiness than contemporary American society (Appreciation). He was affected by growing up in Catholic Louisiana where “duty and discipline” were required and served a greater purpose. The character of Luke in the story is a direct reflection of Dubus when it comes to his viewpoints on Catholicism. In the opening paragraphs Luke talks about all of the changes that he sees in the world. He comments on how he grew up “expecting to be tortured and killed” for his faith and how that taught him to be “strong” (322). Luke realizes that the Catholic Church is changing from the one he knew. He comments a few lines down about how “in the old days we couldn’t eat meat on Fridays” (322). It is an example of one of the rituals of Catholicism being broken down and forgotten. He is critical of the Pope and the grandeur that the Vatican so painstakingly tries to maintain, because Luke sees the duty of the Catholic Church not as “maintaining buildings,” but sacrificing and using its money to feed the poor. The commentary on the changes Catholics are facing comes from Dubus personal feelings. Luke talks about his daily routine, during which he has disciplined himself to wake at 4:45 AM despite his will to sleep longer. He refers to that “struggle in the dark morning” as his life in miniature (323). This shows the value that Dubus places on discipline. Luke also discusses the “habit” of the morning offertory and how it has become a “ritual” (324). He has decided that whether a prayer is recited or said, it is “always an act of faith” (324). I think that by including these comments, Dubus is showing that ritual in the Catholic Church is more than just a tradition, it has meaning. It is an act of faith and a performance of a duty that shows a devotion to God. Dubus’ discomfort with contemporary society can be seen during Luke’s horse ride to St. Johns. Luke finds it strange to see “all those dressed-up people out on the road when the dew hasn’t dried yet” (325). Clearly to Luke, and in turn Dubus, the rat race that American society has become is foreign, just as Luke’s reality (riding down the street on a horse) is foreign to all of the drivers who represent society. When Luke gets to church, he reflects on the value that daily communion has to him. It allows “those who cannot will themselves out of the secular to perform the spiritual” (326). Luke finds peace in his daily rituals and his relationship with God, and all of his habits and beliefs reflect on the beliefs of Dubus greatly. Dubus has succeeded in getting his Catholic message across in “A Father’s Story.” -Monica Van Horn

Comment: I agree with Monica that Luke's habitual morning offertory has a lot of significance in the story; however, I feel that it has more significance that simply a display of his devotion to God. Dubus writes about how the sacraments are when "Christ comes to us in the flesh." When Luke takes communion, he doesn't just feel that he is his way of showing his commitment to God - it is his way of connecting with God. When Luke takes the communion, he feels as though God is right there, giving him strength. It is for this reason that he goes to Father Paul immediately following the night his daughter kills the pedestrian on the road - he wants that connection with God to give him strength in an incredibly trying time, to allow him to continue to replicate God's grace for his daughter. -Mike Torsiello

Comment: I agree with Mike and Monica. However, to build on what Mike is saying, I think that his morning routine helps Luke in a different way. Yes it helps him connect to God, but it gives his life stability. He is an old man who needs routine. He says himself that he is not a good Catholic, but he does connect to God. He needs this ritual because it is something he can control. He could not make his wife stay, he could not save that boy, and he can not stop the loneliness he feels. This morning routine keeps him grounded. -Danielle Wiedmeier

Comment:

Refutation (to Mike): Mike makes a great point and takes my analysis of Luke’s daily morning offertory a step further. I just want to again emphasize that Dubus felt that daily Eucharist and the other “traditional Catholic practices” were a way to “develop a duty and discipline necessary to embrace the way of the cross.” When I said that his performance of rituals exemplified his devotion to God, I think I should have been more specific, and said that it strengthens him (as Mike points out) and allows him to be a better Catholic and a better man. In my opinion, bettering oneself through faith does mean showing your devotion to God. However, I think the main purpose of having Luke perform so many rituals, is Dubus’ way of emphasizing the importance that he places on duty and discipline in making this betterment happen. Multiple times he expresses that he feels rituals, and in turn duty and discipline, had “a larger transcendent purpose.” So, again, I feel that Luke’s actions show that the traditions are not just performed mindlessly out of habit; they allow Catholics to become better people and closer to God. -Monica Van Horn

2. Literary Devices- Dubus uses several literary devices in this story. Among them are point of view, imagery, and flashbacks. "A Father's Story," is said in a first person narrative from Luke's point of view. It would have been difficult to understand how a church going man could have covered up for his daughter's accident. A reader would have been lead to believe that he would have done the same for his sons as well. However, Luke admits to himself that he would only do it for Jennifer. Luke comes off a simple man, but because the story is from his point of view we realize just how complex of a man he is.It is only from his point of view that we understand just how lonely he is too, even with Father Paul. The visual imagery of Jennifer's accident and the aftermath is important as well. From the details in the story a reader can clearly imagine the accident. The details of his home and the Patrick are also very vivid. Flashbacks are a key literary device to understanding Luke Ripely. It uncovers the nature of his "real life" away from his horses. It uncovers the pain he still feels from when his wife left and took the kids, the friendship he has with Father Paul, and the conviction he has in saving his daughter. The flashbacks truly develop the friendship between the priest and Luke. The more we understand just how much Father Paul means to Luke, we realize just how much he sacrificed to lie to Father Paul to save Jennifer. -Danielle Wiedmeier

Comment:Another literary device that Dubus uses is allusion. In the end of "A Father's Story," Luke is talking to God about the choice he made to not turn his daughter in and he says. "'I could bear the pain of watching and knowing my sons' pain, could bear it with pride as they took the whip and nails. But you never had a daughter, and, if You had, You could not have borne her passion" (338). This is a strong allusion to Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. Luke is saying to God that his love for his daughter is different, and perhaps even stronger, than the love for his sons, and God's love for Jesus. While God's love for his son involved sacrificing him for humanity, and pride in Jesus' ability to do so, Luke is saying that he cannot do the same action, as his love is of a more empathetic kind, one where her emotions are of more importance than her actions. In this way, a father will always protect his daughter more. Dubus is showing that A father's love for his daughter can transcend even the most difficult of circumstances. -Mike Torsiello

Comment: Danielle included visual imagery as one of the literary devices used, and I agree that Andre Dubus uses imagery to a great extent. Not only does the imagery allow the reader to visualize the accident and the aftermath, but it also highlights the theme of fatherly instincts, which is a theme in the story. One passage in particular with strong animal imagery is a great example of this. Luke finds the boy that Jennifer hit, and he “climed, scrambling up the side of the ditch, pulling at clutched grass, gained the top on hands and knees, and went to him like that, panting, moving through the grass as high and higher than my face, crawling under that sky, making sounds too, like some animal.” The imagery is so clear and it reminds the reader of an animal scrambling and running to tend to its wounded. Luke is on hands and knees, crawling and panting. It’s as if his normal, calm and simple self has just been abandoned. His daughter’s dilemma has awoken the instinctual part of him (the same instincts that animals have) that tells him to protect his child. By including this animal imagery, Dubus is highlighting the fatherly instinct that not only humans have, to be protective and to take care of their offspring. One of the major themes is this fatherly instinct and Dubus uses imagery to heighten the reader’s awareness of the theme. -Monica Van Horn

Comment:

Refutation: I'm not sure I see the allusion. God had sent Jesus, but Jesus was destined to die for our sins. Luke said that he would turn one of his sons in if he had killed that boy, because they had the strength to go through it. God had women who were called to be martyrs. Joan of Arc was called by God, and she was burned alive. The only child Luke has parental power over is his daughter. She comes to visit him and still looks to him for parental guidance. His sons come every once and a while, but they are strong and independent. They are fathers themselves, and he sees them as grown up. Luke flashes back to the moments he had with Jennifer when she was younger. He still sees her as a little girl in some ways, and can not believe she has grown up. There for he feels responsible for her. -Danielle Wiedmeier

3. Literary Themes- The prevailing themes in “A Father’s Story” are a father’s instinct and loneliness. Luke Ripley has two lives, one in which he is surrounded by his horses and the people taking lessons, and sometimes his daughter and her friends; and the other is his daily routine of talking to God and sitting in his house thinking about his family. Ripley often talks about his “real life” as opposed to “that other life” (323). The description of his “real life” at the beginning of the story has a lonely, but peaceful tone that suggests family and friends are essential to whom we are; but that Luke has come to terms with the “loss” of his family by engaging in his rituals and talking to God (324). When he lost his family he became lonely, to the point that he thought of himself as having an actual different life. When Jennifer comes to visit in the summers, we see a different side of Luke that is engaged and interested in the growth of his daughter. Having family around brings out a completely different side of Luke that isn’t there when he is alone. I think that Dubus is pointing out that men (and women) find purpose in their children, and that often we need them around in order to be completely fulfilled. The second half of the story describes Jennifer’s accident and Luke’s devotion to helping his daughter. Luke is finally able to feel like a father, and he even says that when Jennifer came to him that night he “was not a stable owner or a Catholic or any other Luke Ripley [he] had lived with for a long time, but the father of a girl” (338). Luke does not feel guilty for helping his daughter the way he did because his instincts told him that being a father was the most important thing. Again, we see an entirely different side to Luke when his daughter is around. Although he “no longer feels the peace [he] once did,” I think that Luke’s fatherly instinct outweighed the peace he had come to in his loneliness. I think that Luke’s willingness to sacrifice his daily routine not only confirms that he was lonely without his family, but more importantly, it shows the devotion that a father can have to his daughter. At the end of the story Luke is talking to God and tells him “You never had a daughter, and, if You had, You could not have borne her passion” (338). Luke’s words to God only further highlight the commitment he feels to his children, and in particular his daughter. Dubus is clearly showing his feelings about the bond that exists between a father and daughter and the impact that can be felt when that relationship is lost. -Monica Van Horn

Comment: Another important theme, one that surrounds both of the themes that Monica outlined above, is religion in the face of adversity. Throughout the story, Luke has used religion as his backbone whenever he faced an issue, so as to not go at it alone, to feel that "certainty of peace" that he feels when he is in Communion with God. He goes to communion when he feels lonely and isolated from his family, to feel as though he is no longer alone. He also goes to Communion when he needs strength from God because of the circumstances his daughter put him into. He goes to God whenever he needs help or support. Dubus is saying that religion can be a strong support in times of need, something he no doubt took from personal experience. -Mike Torsiello

Comment:I think the faith in the face adversity is important. However, I do not think his faith shined through. He goes to Communion after the accident because he knows that he can never be forgiven for the sin he committed. His faith in God gave him a bond that meant something, but now he has this secret bond with his daughter. It gives him purpose to protect his daughter now. He may as well be a part time Catholic. -Danielle Wiedmeier

Comment:

Refutation (to Mike): To build on what Danielle says, I also feel that at the end of the story Luke’s daughter was given priority over his faith. I do agree that one of the themes was faith in the face of adversity. At the beginning of the story Luke relies on his daily rituals and the peace he receives from his devotion in order to cope with the loss of his family. But in the end, Luke receives his family back in the form of Jennifer. That adversity which he needed religion to accept and move on from no longer exists at the end. I think that by the end of the story, when Luke disregards what his religion would suggest he do (turn in his daughter), he has chosen to forgo complete devotion to his faith. He even says “I do not feel the peace I once did: not with God, nor the earth, or anyone on it. I have begun to prefer this state…” (338). At this point, Luke no longer needs to gather his strength from religion. The fact that Jennifer had “woke what had flowed dormant in [his] blood since her birth” was all of the strength that Luke needed. How long that feeling lasts without his faith, I do not know. -Monica Van Horn

4. Conflicts I find a conflict between Andre Dubus' Catholic message and theprevailing theme in "A Father's Story." Every day Luke wakes up and rides his horse to church to receive communion, a tradition he sticks to because of the daily struggle, to show his commitment to his faith. However, in the story, his daughter drunkenly hits a young man on her way back to his house from the beach. She tells Luke, who goes out to inspect the crime scene and finds the man, watching him die. Instead of calling an ambulance and reporting the crime, Luke goes back to his house and takes the beer cans out of the car and takes the blame for the accident. The police find the young man the next day. Luke goes to his priest, Father Paul to ask for communion, but does not ask for reconciliation - the normal sacrament that one would expect for forgiveness. Luke's reasoning is that for penance, Father Paul might ask him to go to the police and tell them what happened, so he abstains from the practice, saying "I love her more than I love truth" (338). In doing so, he directly and knowingly takes himself out of the traditions of the Catholic Church. There seems to be a conflict between Luke's loyalties for his family and his church. He says that his daughter's well-being takes precedence over the morality that the Church teaches him because it would be impossible to bear her "passion" or "pain." In doing so, Luke is lying, participating in a murder, and allowing a family to go through a tragedy without knowing what caused it for the rest of their lives, all to protect his daughter. It seems as though Dubus might be saying that family sometimes needs to be valued over the church. -Mike Torsiello

Comment: I think the reason why he does not ask for forgiveness, is because he intends to keep covering it up. He feels bad for Patrick's family, and for lying to Father Paul but he is not seeking forgiveness. He feels it is his duty as a father to protect Jennifer. He does not ask for forgiveness because that would mean admitting to Father Paul what he did. He does not want Father Paul to know because it could compromise their friendship. If their friendship is compromised, then Luke really is alone. -Danielle Wiedmeier

Comment: Comment: I think that Mike has found a great contradiction between Luke’s actions in the story and his Catholic faith, however I think that including this contradiction does not mean that Dubus thinks it is the right thing to do. There is evidence in Dubus’ obituary to suggest that Luke’s actions are a reflection of the struggles that Dubus has faced himself in the past. He was in an accident that left him permanently disabled and forced him to confront “the issues of control that had become such an integral part of his identity.” Luke’s actions in response to his daughter’s accident in “A Father’s Story” are all about control. He feels the need to protect his daughter and keep her from facing the reality of the situation. If he was to just let things play out naturally and allow his daughter to be caught, he would be giving up control over the consequences of her actions. By finding the boy and trying to save him, and then covering up Jennifer’s involvement when he dies, Luke is displaying a strong desire to control the outcome. I think that this reflects Dubus’ own experience with control, and is a way for him to explore what the consequences would be, and what life would be like, if he was not forced to give up control. As we see at the end of the story, Luke “does not feel the peace [he] once did: not with God, nor the earth, or anyone on it” (338). His actions are not portrayed as the right thing to do, but simply something that he had to do in order to remain in control of his own, and his daughter’s, well being. I do not think that Dubus is suggesting that the right thing to do is to value your family over God. I think that the story is showing the effects that doing so can have on a person. -Monica Van Horn

Comment:

Refutation: I agree with Danielle's comment. It seems as though Luke is abandoning traditional Catholic principles in favor of the safety of his family. I wonder what the Catholic Church would say about this, because he seems to be in a bit of a dilemma: if he asks for forgiveness, he compromises his daughter's health, but if he does not want to be reconciled, he goes against Catholic principles. He seems to feel that the entire incident is best if it remains a secret to only him and his daughter. -Mike Torsiello