The Drunkard

At the beginning of "The Drunkard", Larry tried to impede his father's drinking: "I was being attached to the party to act as a brake on Father (O'Connor, 344)." This extended metaphor leads the audience to think of a car. A brake stops the car from moving as the child prohibits the father from drinking. Instead of applying the emergency brake and finally stopping his father's drinking, the boy pushes on the break only for brief periods of time. He attempts to make the father leave early from the pub by asking if they can go home now. Larry releases the brake when Father promises him lemonade. Again, he implements the brake when he requests to leave a second time. The father refuses, and the brake weakens. Finally, the boy administers the long-lasting emergency brake slowly. He drinks the alcohol, and his head whirs. Making a fool of himself and his father, the boy slurs his words and vomits. The commotion that he creates spreads throughout the town's gossip. The father now realizes his mistake in whiskey because he sees his flaw within his own son.