about lovers. In a pinch anybody‘ll do…” (pp.116, 117). Nevertheless, all this characters that
show a very strong independent person it can be seen through the story that Fenstad’s mother is afraid of being old, unable, not needed. She wrote to politicians she tried to affect her son to get back with his wife, she tries to change things to be in control, but she is not succeeding very
well in doing so. Even her son in reaction to her question and advises about his ex-wife just says
“Come on ma” (p.116). Her name is mentioned only once through the entire story. ””My mother”, he said “Clara Fenstad” (p. 118). It is written she or Fenstad’s mother most of the time as if she is not a person of her own, it gives a filling that all she ever did as a person is in the past now and her only function now is being Fenstad’s mother. Through the entire story she is being called Fenstad’s mother, not Harry’s mother and it shows that she functions as the head of the family. Fenstad’s, fen – an area of low wet land that pulls you in, tads - little children. Clara Fenstad, is a Mother of the family that cannot let go of her son she tries to change him to guide him; she criticizes him and his way of life although he is a grown man. It is very hard for her to let go but eventually she does and it is one of the main changes in her as well as excepting her age. Fenstad is a little bit worried about her mother he looks for signs of memory loss or depression which are in some cases usual for old people “Quickly he checked her apartment for any signs of memory loss or depression”. Fenstad’s mother is not getting out much anymore even thou she wants to” I want to get out.” I spend too much time in this place in January…”” (p.117). She wants to feel that she is doing something useful, if not for others then at least herself she wants to get out expending her horizons, to be active ““…You should expend my horizons. Take me somewhere””(p.117). As we keep reading we see more clearly that there is a change in Fenstad’s mother character that person who seemed to us as a strong and independent, is an old woman now. She has a hard time getting used to the idea of being old, dependent needing help, needing her son to take her somewhere, not able to do it alone. She says “somewhere” as if she doesn’t even care where and just wants to get out. However she is afraid to be noticed, afraid that people would think that she is too old “”they’ll notice me” she said squinting, ”I am too old”” However, even thou she is troubled by her age and people noticing her she is preparing herself for this as if it was some kind of an important social event or some kind of a party. She puts on
her best clothes and even perfume which is unusual for her “…dressed in a dark blue overcoat – her best.” (p.117).“ Inside the car Fenstad noticed that she had put on perfume, unusual for her.”(p.117). Fenstad’s mother asks about the people he teaches ““Who’s in this group of students” she asked “Working-class people. I hope…””(p.117) and after he answers ““Oh, they work, all right”” (p.117), she gets upset, sad, as if she feels bad that she isn’t anymore “He looked at his mother and saw…a combination of sadness and delicacy in her face. Her usual mask of tough optimism seemed to be deserting her.” (p.117). Fenstad tells her about one particularly bright student and she immediately says that she wants to meet him. But it makes her feel uncomfortable with herself, for her it is another reminder of her age, of her not being now what she once was and the people she once was friends with and admired. “”A man with ideas. People like that have gone out of my life.””(p. 117), “Martin Luther King’s eyes looked into his from the framed picture on the wall opposite him. In the picture King was shaking hands with Fenstad’s mother…” (p.116).Fenstad’s mother hates her age and the way people teat her because of her age “What I hate about my age is how nice everyone tries to be. I was never nice but now everyone is pelting me with sugar cubes.” (pp.117, 118). Clara is an old woman with a “stiff grey hair” (p.118). Here it is the first time that we have a physical description that shows us something about her age. Afterwards we see more and more that her physical condition is parallel to her mental and emotional state. She needs help doing things which young people do without any effort. “Approaching the steps, she took her son’s hand”, “Fenstad took her elbow to guide her over the snow melting…”, ““Come on,” he said taking her hand again.”, “Fenstad took his mother’s arm to escort her to the car.”, “He held his mother’s elbow from the car to the door.” “He opened the door for her and helped her back in to the booth” “They helped her up…”, “…gave her a warm bath before putting her into bed…” “…they guided her in and out of the bathtub.” (pp.118, 120,121, 122, 124, 125). Fenstad mother’s gait is heavy “At the door, looking
back…he saw his tracks and his mother’s in the snow. His were separate footprints, but hers formed two long lines.” a gait of an old person who doesn’t move his legs quickly and easily. Fenstad’s mother doesn’t want to stay alone, she accepts his invitation to visit his class and when the class is over and they go back she asks him not to take her home yet as she was afraid to go back “Then she began to shake her head. “Don’t take me home,” she said.”(p.121). She wants to be around people to socialize, it makes her happy. “She was looking at the clumps of students
standing in the glare of the hallway… She was not used to such noise: she stopped in the middle of the corridor underneath a wall clock and stared happily in no particular direction” (p.118). “…Fenstad remembered how much his mother had always liked smoke-filled rooms, where
ideas fought each other, and where some of those ideas died.”(p.118). She had the chance to participate in Fenstad’s class, “Fenstad’s mother said from the back of the room.” (p.120) to share her ideas to affect and even take the conversation to another direction “She talked for another two minutes, taking the subject out of logic and putting it neatly in politics, where she knew it belonged.” She thanked her son for the adventure ““Thanks for the adventure”, Harry.” even though she was disappointed by it “Dismay radiated from her.”, “Her disappointment…”, “Her disappointed hope…”, “She was angry with him for collaborating with grammar she would call it unconsciously installed authority. Then, she would find other names for it. ”, “…she was in a gruff mood and repositioned herself under the seat belt while making quiet but aggressive remarks.”(pp. 119,121). When her son told her to stop her remarks, she did so immediately. ““I don’t want to discuss it now”. “All right. I’m sorry. Let’s talk about something more pleasant.”” Usually children obey their parents, and here it seems the other way around. In a way we see here that Fenstad and his mother changed roles. Now he is in control, he makes the decisions and she follows his leads. We see it again in the scène in the coffee shop when she wants to help the poor woman but afraid that her son would stop her from doing so “Take it before my son stops
me.”(p. 122). When Fenstad asks her if she would like to come again she replies ““Very much. I’ll keep quiet next time, if you want me to.””(p.121). She wants to come so much and be around this people that she is willing to be quiet, if that is what her son wants, and it is so not typical for a person like herself. She was very active and always expressed her opinion in letters to politicians, remarks to her son about his behavior, habits or friends. Now she is willing to be
passive, obedient and quiet, just to be given the chance to come to Fenstad’s lessons and be
around people. Fenstad’s mother loved the people in the class, ““What a wonderful class”…” (p.124) they liked her, “The students loved you.”, “They’d probably would rather you teaching the class than me.”(p. 121), she listened to them very attentively and even took notes “Again
Fenstad noticed his mother taking notes”. She could be active there she participated “Fenstad watched his mother…waltzing…” (p.124). She was happy there and wanted to come back there again and again ““I want to go back to the class”” (p.122). It seems like she had found her place and accepted her age. She is not preoccupied with the past anymore, with what she was or could do then and cannot now. Now she just wants to see her children happy. ““I wanted to see you two,” she told him. “I thought you’d look happy and you did. I like to watch happiness. I always have.””(p.124). She wanted to see him happy so badly that she was willing to sit quietly at the dark in the cold park, far away and look at him. When her son asked, ““How can you see us? We’re so far away”” (p.124), she answered “That’s how I saw you” (p.124). It seems that she was afraid that if she would come nearer she would disturb him; she wouldn’t be able to see his happiness. After that evening she got sick she was home and her son and friend from class visited her. Now it seemed as if she really came to terms with her life. And was not trying anymore to make changes, be in control all the time or influence anybody. She is learning to enjoy the simple things in life that she never knew before, “York is explaining to me about Art Tatum and jazz”, “I never heard enough jazz” (p.125) and found a new way to expend her horizons. Another important change she is going through understands her own unique problem and accepting that there is such thing as unique problems. “This is my unique problem, Harry.” (p. 125). Clara went through many changes during this short period but the fact that she succeeded to aghast herself to this changes and found pees shows that she is nevertheless these changes still is a strong person.
