The Piano Man's Daughter Timothy Findley Importance Of A Father

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ENG ***
Mrs. *****
June 12, 2013
The Importance of a Father in a Family In literature, authors emphasize the importance of family members. In The Piano Man’s Daughter written by Timothy Findley, the role of a father in a family is important. For example, Charlie Kilsworth does not figure out who his father is until long after his mother, Lily Kilsworth, dies. During his childhood, Lily does not tell Charlie who his father is. As a result of such action, Charlie refuses to have children and eventually throws away his relationship with his loving wife. It is when Charlie finds out who his father is, that he finds the courage to raise a child, and marry the woman who loves him dearly. Therefore, knowing one’s father leads to certainty
of one’s ability to have a family. Not knowing one’s father can lead to frustration. Both Charlie and Lily Kilsworth had never met their real father. The difference between the two is that Lily never tells Charlie who his father is. At one point in Charlie’s memory, Charlie finds a picture of Lily, Eleanor Ormond and Phoebe Russell, on board the S.S. Franconia to go to South Hampton (Findley 326). Charlie then realizes that one of the two girls with Lily introduced Lily to his father. However, Charlie expresses his frustration by saying: “My problem remains. Since each provides a likely candidate, I cannot tell which one it was” (326). The words “my problem remains” show his frustration as he is now certain one of the girls in the picture knows who his father is. The big question does not get answered until later in Charlie’s life. (477) However, not knowing his father, Charlie finds that he is affected in a dramatic way. Uncertainty is a result of information being miscommunicated, and can affect a character in a dramatic way. Findley shows in clear detail, that Charlie is very affected in his personal life by not knowing his father. One can infer about Charlie’s uncertainty of being a capable father and raising a family, because he never meets his father. During the years of 1935 and 1936, Charlie falls in love with a musician named Alexandra and marries her in 1937. Their relationship, however, plummets to the ground as Charlie refuses to have children (252). The couple eventually divorces and Charlie expresses remorse, but not surprise. He states: “When my wife left me, she told me she thought I was mad. Of course, it was only an expression of her anger-only a reflection of her confusion-what else could I be but mad if I refused to give her children” (250). The words “what else could I be but mad if I refused to give her children” show his remorse for his wife leaving, but solidifies his belief on not wanting to have children. This shows Charlie’s uncertainty of raising a child because he never meets his real father. He does not have a father figure, and therefore, he has only a mother that has an illness which distinguishes her from the rest. (234) Charlie states: “no more Kilsworth babies. None” (254). One can infer that because he leads such a crazy life with his mother, that he is convinced that all Kilsworth babies will be crazy like her mother. One can also infer that if his father is in his life, he would be reassured about his ability to raise a family. When a man finds out whom his father is his life is forever changed.
This is the case for Charlie Kilsworth. Having been raised without a father figure and growing up with a lunatic woman of a mother, Charlie’s life is changed when a letter from Eleanor Hess, Lily’s dear old friend, arrives. Eleanor’s letter answers his biggest life question of who his father is. Eleanor writes in her letter: “My dear Charlie… I know who your father was. Your father was my husband - Karl. Karl Hess. Your name is Hess - if you want it” (476). The words “I know who your father was” show that although she denies knowing his father before in their earlier conversations, she is lying. While reading the letter, Charlie states “I turned the page. My eyes hurt. I was afraid” (476). The words “I was afraid” show how Charlie is affected by this turn of events. Eventually, Charlie accepts his fate and learns about his biological father, Karl Hess, who was a Junior Officer in the Imperial German Army. (477) Time passes and by 1940, Charlie welcomes Alexandra back in to his life and re-marries her (489). By 1944, Alexandra gives birth to a baby girl, whose name is Emma (490). By this time, Charlie gains his confidence and is able to raise a
family. The Piano Man’s Daughter, written by Timothy Findley, emphasizes the importance of having a father figure to raise a child. At first, Charlie Kilsworth leaves his loving wife because he does not want children. This is a result of never meeting his father. He then finds out who his father is through a letter from Eleanor Hess. Although he never meets his father because he is dead when the letter arrives (478), he finds the reassurance and gains certainty that he needs to start a family. After figuring out who his father is, he re-marries his ex-wife and they start a family with a baby girl named Emma. Therefore, having a father figure in a family leads to reassuring the children that they are capable of raising a family. This is true because children are affected by their parents as they look up to their parents for guidance in life.

Works Cited
Findley, Timothy, The Piano Man’s Daughter Toronto: Perennial Canada; Pebble
Productions INC, 1995.