My Son the Man by Sharon Olds
Thesis:
In the poem My Son the Man, Sharon Olds alludes to
the famous magician Harry Houdini in order to portray her distraught feelings towards her son’s aging. She also utilizes imagery and descriptive diction to
contrast her feelings to her son’s desires.
I. Allusion
A. “Suddenly his shoulders get a lot wider, the way Houdini would expand his
body while people were putting him in chains” (Olds 1-3). Olds alludes to
Houdini’s most famous trick, which was his escape from a chained box under
water. The speaker’s son physically grows, but also mentally grows; his mind
grows just like Houdini’s imagination grows as he imagines a way out of the
box.
B. “Now he looks at me the way Houdini studied a box to learn the way out”
(Olds 14-16). Olds once again alludes to this same trick, but for a different
effect. This time, the speaker realizes that although her son is physically growing
up right in front of her eyes, he still needs his mother’s help to
get out of his sleeper. He is not quite a man yet.
II. Imagery
A. “It seems no time since I would help him put on his sleeper, guide his
calves into the shadowy interior, zip him up and toss him up and catch his
weight.” (Olds 3-7). The speaker’s maternal instincts have forever helped her
son into his sleeper. His is innocent and young, as she can “toss him up and
catch his weight.” She reflects on her past because she knows that he will soon
become a man and will no longer require her assistance.
B. “then smiled and let himself be manacled” (Olds 16). The last line of the
poem represents a different side to the story. The speaker must cope with the
fact that her son will eventually grow older and no longer need her help, but
according to this line of the poem it has not happened yet. The boy knows he
cannot get out of his sleeper without his mom’s help, and therefore he gives up
and waits for help. The mother progressively lets go of her control throughout
the poem, but is then happily surprised at the end to realize that although her
son is growing up quickly, it is not that quickly.
III. Diction
A. “I cannot imagine him no longer a child” (Olds 7-8). The diction provides a
nostalgic tone to the speaker’s voice. It becomes quite obvious that the
speaker is having a difficult time accepting the fact that her son is growing
into a man and will no longer need her help.
B. “Snapped the padlock, unsnaked the chains” (Olds 13). The descriptiveness of
this diction enhances the imagery of Houdini’s underwater escape trick. It also
enhances the speaker’s fear of her son growing older. She secretly wants her
son to forever need her help to get out of his sleeper, just like if Houdini were to forever stay stuck in his chained box, so she will remain an
important part of his life.
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