A Father's Mask Discussion Questions

Thought provoking theories surround “A Father’s Mask” throughout a multitude of twists and bizarre turns that unfold. Questions linger, leaving a bitter taste of dissatisfaction. The sequence of events that follow the family encounter with the Queen of Spades leaves behind questions like, If Jack’s mother decided not to take lightly the stories regarding the playing card people could Henry have been saved? If Jack had been more keen to listen to the stories his mother told, would him wearing the mask had kept them out of sight? Who were the boy and girl in the woods? What is the reader expected to take away from this story? One solution could have been Jack’s mother showing assertiveness with her stories. The mother’s erratic obsession with
The mother tells the playing card stories as a way to protect her son’s innocence of life, while the father, interrupted, tries to explain something a little different. Both want the best outcome that protects their son, but the father may have more concern regarding his son’s future. With the idea that the appraiser is actually a black market organ donor, the mother could have sacrificed herself for her family’s financial freedom, leaving Henry to teach his son how to make proper financial decisions that don’t lead to this type of outcome. It is apparent, however at the end of the story the mother wants to keep her son’s innocence by helping him forget the bizarre events that unfolded in the cabin at Big Cat Lake. Jack states that their family has been lucky and financially stable. His mother says that the playing card people do not like the thought of anybody getting a free ride in life. These statements, symbolically, could argue that the parents didn’t pay their debt, and possibly taxes. The idea that the family could have paid their debt to begin with eliminates the need for any one person to have sacrificed their lives to save the other family