My Father’s Axe

The story, My Father's Axe, explores the changing dynamics of a man's relationship with his father. When he is a child the man sees his father as a hero-like figure; someone who he looks up to and admires. He sees his father as someone who can build and repair anything as well as someone who protects, and he strives to be as gallant as his father supposedly is. This represents manhood as a type of trait that is passed on from father to son over time. However, the relationship is ambivalent, as he believes his father is disappointed in him. We see this on a number of occasions in the story as the relationship with his father diminished slowly and the father refuses to talk to his son on many occasions. As the man grows up and his father grows old, the relationship changes. The father becomes increasingly weak and frail, meaning that the man increasingly takes on the role of the man of the house. For a male, growing up is therefore represented as involving taking on the role of his father and doing the same chores and chopping wood just as his father did. The man's relationship with his mother is quite different. With her he is more open and communicates with her more freely. Being an adult female is therefore represented quite differently in that you can communicate your feelings without being afraid of being downgraded or seen as a weak character. The axe is a symbol of strength; both physical and emotional.