Welding with Children

Mr. Fordlyson is a deacon and business owner in Gumwood. He is an old man with a distinctive look, appearing throughout the story in a straw fedora. He also has a face “nicked up in twenty places with skin-cancer operations” (5) and a limp in his leg. Initially, Mr. Fordlyson appears as an antagonist. It is Mr. Fordlyson, together with his nephew, the younger Mr. Fordlyson, who taunts Bruton about his grandchildren as he pulls into Pak-a-Sak. Bruton also does not provide a possessive assessment of Mr. Fordlyson, declaring that the man “thought he was king of Gumwood [like…] every old man who had five dollars and an opinion on the tip of his tongue” (5).

However, Mr. Fordlyson proves to be a help rather than a hindrance to Bruton, aside from his previous harassment. When Bruton talks to Mr. Fordlyson under the Tree of Knowledge, the two have a much more amicable exchange, and Mr. Fordlyson offers Bruton important advice. Mr. Fordlyson, unlike Bruton, does not change. When Bruton confronts Mr. Fordlyson about his “bastardmobile” comment Mr. Fordlyson simply “sat there with his face as hard as ploughshare” (14). Mr. Fordlyson’s impassive reaction contrasts Bruton’s embarrassment at Mr. Fordlyson’s insult and reinforces Mr. Fordlyson’s static position in the story. Mr. Fordlyson’s role in the story is to spur Bruton on his journey of self-discovery. Indeed, Mr. Fordlyson serves as a God-like figure in the story. For example, just as God forbids Adam from eating from the tree, Mr. Fordlyson warns Bruton not to eat the green pecan he takes from the tree because it will make him “sick.”

Mr. Fordlyson, for all the good he does for Bruton, is also a humorous character in his false sense of authority and godliness. Fordlyson is a deacon, but his first interaction with Bruton is a derogatory comment. He also shames Bruton for not being able to afford the tithe at his church, then he recommends a different church that may accept cheaper tithes instead of just accepting Fordlyson into his own church despite his lack of wealth. Tim Gautreaux creates a town in his story where Fordlyson is, relative to Bruton, a godly figure, while the reader can see his shortcomings clearly.

Bruton’s grandchildren function as foils to Bruton’s actions. When Bruton tries to weld the bed frame, Tammynette and Moonbean play with his equipment. When he tries to read them Bible stories, they inundate him with off-topic questions about movies and songs. Throughout the story, Bruton struggles to keep his grandchildren occupied and entertained. The grandchildren are a formidable group to babysit, consisting of Nu-Nu—“a big headed baby with a bubbling tongue” (1)—and three spirited toddlers. Often, Bruton is forced to placate the children’s demands: buying them Icees against his better wishes and letting them play on the engines in his yard. Tammynette, in particular, has a strong personality. With her impressive knowledge of pop culture, ranging from Elvis Presley to O. J. Simpson, she is the one Bruton often runs against in his attempts to teach the children about God. Overall, the generational gulf between Bruton and the grandchildren makes it difficult for Bruton to connect with them.

Bruton’s portrayal of the children often belies their seeming innocence, exposing a tension between their youth and maturity. When Freddie wakes up from his nap in the car, Bruton notes that he “rubbed his eyes like a drunk” (18), a comparison which renders this simple action less innocuous. Likewise, when Tammynette’s voice gets higher Bruton explains it “starting to rise the way her mother’s did when she’d been drinking” (11). The description exposes Bruton’s anxieties over his grandchildren’s upbringing. Bruton fears that Tammynette will become just like her mother, and that his grandchildren will make the same mistakes as his daughters. Such worries filter through Bruton’s perception of the children and the narration itself.

Bruton gives scarce descriptions of his four daughters. He provides the name of only one of them, Glendine. The others he identifies by their occupations: Bruton’s oldest daughter “flips burgers” and his second-oldest works as a flight attendant on a small airline. However, Bruton describes his third daughter as just “still dating” (1). Rather than depicting his daughters as unique individuals, Bruton treats them as a collective unit. They are “four dirty blondes with weak chins from St. Helena Parish” (7). Often Bruton categorizes them by their unmarried status. The daughters’ lack of identifying features creates a unifying subplot in the narrative. The story treats them as a cautionary tale as they all made the mistake of falling for married men who proved to be inadequate partners.

Bruton’s oldest daughter has the biggest presence in the story. She gives Bruton the broken bed frame to fix in the beginning of the story and she appears at the end to drop off Nu-Nu and Freddie. While all Bruton’s daughters seem to have financial problems, Bruton’s oldest daughter’s problems are particularly pronounced, as she is unable to afford a new bed frame. Bruton’s description of his oldest daughter reinforces this sense that she is struggling. Her hair is the “color and texture of fiberglass insulation” and she smells like “stale smoke” (17). The comparison renders Bruton’s daughter wholly artificial and implies she had become degraded and corrupted by the world. She also “passes Nu-Nu to Bruton like a ham” (17), a simile that implies she does not treat her baby with much tenderness.