Review Of Garrison Keillor's 'A Trip To Grand Rapids'
Letting go of your children is something all parents have to go through. And that can be tough, and maybe the hardest thing parents have to go through. You have watched your children grow up, been there through ups and downs, protected them their whole life. But that has to come to an end, and you have to realize that your children don’t need you anymore, and that it isn’t your job anymore to protect them. They are adults. This is the major theme in the short story “A Trip to Grand Rapids” written by Garrison Keillor, where the main character Roger learns to let go of his two daughters. The story is told by a third person narrator limited to Roger. We therefor have his point of view which means that as a reader you only get to see the world
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Because it could have been just like any other trip him and his wife could have taken, but this one is different. It is THE trip – the trip where Roger let go of his children and worries, and realizes they are adults and that he should be thankful for his life.
The story has other themes beside letting go of your children. Another theme is being grateful for what you have. Roger doesn’t realize in the beginning how lucky he is to have a wonderful wife and two lovely daughters. He sees being a dad as a job, instead of it being a privilege. But in the ending he thanks God for having his daughters and wife, for having a good life and for the rain.
Parenting and acceptance are other themes in this short story. The story shows the dilemma of how to race your child and when you accept that your “child” is an adult. This dilemma is showed in the story with the party; should Roger allow this party and accept that they are adults or shut down the party because he can’t accept that his “sweet little daughters” are adults?
Letting go of your children is important. Otherwise will your child never grow up and take care for themselves and have normal, healthy relationship to other people as an
Because it could have been just like any other trip him and his wife could have taken, but this one is different. It is THE trip – the trip where Roger let go of his children and worries, and realizes they are adults and that he should be thankful for his life.
The story has other themes beside letting go of your children. Another theme is being grateful for what you have. Roger doesn’t realize in the beginning how lucky he is to have a wonderful wife and two lovely daughters. He sees being a dad as a job, instead of it being a privilege. But in the ending he thanks God for having his daughters and wife, for having a good life and for the rain.
Parenting and acceptance are other themes in this short story. The story shows the dilemma of how to race your child and when you accept that your “child” is an adult. This dilemma is showed in the story with the party; should Roger allow this party and accept that they are adults or shut down the party because he can’t accept that his “sweet little daughters” are adults?
Letting go of your children is important. Otherwise will your child never grow up and take care for themselves and have normal, healthy relationship to other people as an