Shooting Dad

Amy Vowells Shooting Dad paints a vivid picture of childhood opposition to parental beliefs and a reconciliation of those beliefs as the child matures into adulthood. Vowells descriptive use of sight brings the readers into her tumultuous world as a teenager while she rages against her fathers philosophical viewpoints. The sensation of touch is used to convey her revulsion of firearmsher fathers passion. Sound is used not only to show the differences between father and daughter, but also their similarities. From the onset of the story Vowells descriptive use of language regarding her childhood home pulls the readers into her oppositional world with her father. If you were passing by the house where I grew up during my teenage years and it happened to be before Election Day, you wouldnt have to come inside to see that it was a house divided. You couldve looked at the Democratic campaign poster in the upstairs window and the Republican one in the downstairs window and seen our home for the Civil War battleground that it was. (Vowell 2000) While we, the readers, cannot yet ascertain who is at war we definitely know some members of the household are at war with each other. The subjects of the war become more clearly defined in the next sentence. Im not saying who was the Democrat or who was the Republicanmy father or II will tell you that I never subscribed to Guns & Ammo, that I did not plaster the family vehicle with Nation Rifle Association stickers, and that hunters orange was never my color. (Vowell 2000) Then Vowell clearly defines the war zones. Our house was partitioned off into territories. While the kitchen and the living room were well within the DMZ, the

respective workspaces governed by my father and me were jealously guarded totalitarian states in which each of us declared ourselves dictator (Vowell 2000). As readers we now know who is at war and where the war zone hotspots are. By reading the opening paragraph we can pretty much surmise that this war has been started because of political differences. Vowell has effectively described the setting and atmosphere of the story to the readers and the story has barely begun. This technique makes the readers want to know more and makes them anxious to do so. Vowells description of firing her first gun and how the gun felt as she held it brings into the readers perspective one more reason why father and daughter are at odds with one another. Vowells father is a gunsmith. He wants his daughter to share his enthusiasm for firearms but Vowell doesnt share that enthusiasm. I remember holding the pistol made me feel small (Vowell 2000). Guns frighten the young Vowell and she wants nothing to do with them. It was so heavy in my hand. I stretched out my arm and pointed it away and winced. It was a very long time before I had the nerve to pull the trigger and I was so scared I had to close my eyes (Vowell 2000). The descriptive prose is so vivid that the readers can feel the weight of the gun and see in their minds eye young Vowell attempting to pull the trigger. I dont know if I dropped it or just handed it over to my Dad, but I do know that I never wanted to touch another one again (Vowell 2000). Again, the readers feel the vehemence in Vowells voice and her distaste for her fathers passion of firearms. Guns make loud noises and Vowell uses sound prominently throughout her story. Here Vowells use of sound is to show that there are differences of opinion when it comes to father and daughter discussions. Of course, the fact that I was allowed to voice my opinions did not mean that my father would silence his own (Vowell 2000). Vowell

brings the reader into her political struggle with her father. Some things were said during the Reagan administration that cannot be taken back (Vowell 2000). As Vowell matures she realizes she wants a better relationship with her father. After tooling a million guns.the cannon is his most ambitious project ever. I thought that if I was ever going to understand the ballistic bee in his bonnet now was the time (Vowell 2000). Now sound has taken a different twist. It is now being used to show the similarities between father and daughter. The cannon was so loud and so painful, I had to touch my head to make sure my skull hadnt cracked open. One thing that my dad and I share is that were both a little hard of hearingme from Areosmith, him from gunsmith (Vowell 2000). Thats quite the machine you got there. But he isnt talking about the cannon Hes talking about my tape recorder and my microphonewhich is called a shotgun mike. I stare back at him, then I look over at my fathers cannon, then down at my microphone, and I think, Oh. My. God. My dad and I are the same person. Were both smart-alecky loners with goofy projects and weird equipment. (Vowell 2000) In one afternoon a lifetime of opposition is a thing of the past as Vowell realizes that father and daughter are not so different after all. The readers are right there when Vowell comes to this realization, feeling the same astonishment she feels. Relationships are never easy. Vowells descriptive use of sight, touch, and sound illustrates the fact that while we may oppose our parents belief systems when we are young, we may also come to find a way to embrace them as we get older.

Works Cited

Vowell, S. (2000). Shooting Dad. Kennedy, X. J., Kennedy, D. M., Aaron, J.E. (Eds). (pp. 154-160). The Bedford Reader Tenth Edition New York. Bedford/St. Martins.