Memories of Montreal

Memories of Montreal - and Richness” by Moses Milstein is a short story about a father, recollecting his vivid childhood memories of living in Montreal during the fifties. The main character begins by emphasizing his regret and sadness in bringing his son up in a posh, serene and wealthy neighbourhood located in West Vancouver, that is vastly different from the richly cultured streets of Montreal from which he grew up in. This point is clearly stated in the text with the statement “And I blame myself”. He wishes that his son had had the chance to experience the feeling of safety and support that came with growing up in a jewish community where all the families had similar tragic pasts involving the Holocaust. Although his childhood may have been less luxurious than his sons he knows that its our experiences that makes us who we are as a person, and that it was the life skills that he learned growing up in Montreal, that are priceless to him. The father than truly captures the reader into his fond memories of growing up in Montreal as he describes the joys that he experienced by expressing the all to familiar sights and scents that he came across while navigating the bustling streets of Montreal that were lined with all sorts of family owned shops, delicatessens, laundries and corner stores. The main character finishes by reflecting the sorrow he feels for his son as he walks to school, surrounded solely in beautiful showering cherry blossoms and not the influential feel of community, that he once