27 pages • 54 minutes read
Tim GautreauxWelding with Children
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1999A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Bastardmobile
The “bastardmobile” motif reveals Bruton’s reputation and the position of his family in the town. Although the term “bastard” is wielded as an insult against Bruton’s grandchildren, he sees the term as a reflection of his failed role as a father. The word forces Bruton to reconcile with the town’s perception of him and his family. While Bruton tries to escape from his reputation, he finds he is unable to elude the word “bastardmobile” that follows him throughout the story. He sees it “spelled out in chrome script on [his] fenders (6) and in his thoughts. When Bruton later wonders why no one in his family ever left Gumwood, he realizes “[w]e couldn’t escape in the bastardmobile” (12). The fact that the word is used to refer to Bruton’s car reinforces its power, as Bruton’s status in town has become written into the very vehicle he uses to move.
The Bed Frame
Generally, beds symbolize home, security, and comfort because of their role as a place of rest. Bruton’s daughter’s broken bed frame, however, does much the opposite when representing insecurity and the precariousness of Nu-Nu’s home life. Indeed, at the beginning of the story Bruton ridicules his daughter with the remark: “[W]hat the hell you can do in a bed that’ll cause the end of an iron rail to break off is beyond me” (1). While this, evidently pointed and sarcastic, comment draws peculiar attention to his daughter’s sex-life, it also underscores the daughter’s broken home and inability to afford necessities. Furthermore, it becomes apparent that Bruton harbors anxieties that later come to dominate him. When Bruton welds the bed frame together, it reinforces his efforts to fix his grandchildren’s broken home. Moreover, Bruton’s contention at the end of story, that Nu-Nu can “fit the circle in the middle” of the tire swing shows that Bruton has found a space for Nu-Nu within his own house (18).
Sparks
Sparks, the particles that result from welding or metalworking, are a motif that shows Bruton’s growing influence over his grandchildren. Sparks first appear when Tammynette plays with Bruton’s welding equipment, “jamming a file against the stone just to laugh at the sparks” (2). Sparks also appear when Moonbean strikes Bruton with the electric rod. This, albeit mildly violent, playful control of the sparks by the grandchildren demonstrates not only their childish exploration, but also the lack of understanding Bruton has for them.
Physically speaking, sparks are produced when two hard objects come into rapid and abrasive contact with one another and release excess energy. Figuratively, then, this applies to Bruton and his grandchildren. Indeed, Both Bruton and his grandchildren are stubborn and their interactions contain tension and resistance due to their wrestling for control throughout the narrative. This is showcased when, initially, the grandchildren control the creation of sparks through their playing with Bruton’s welding equipment; Bruton is denied his habitual behaviors. This, however, has a marked change when Bruton’s transformation enables him to begin to better understand his grandchildren. As this occurs it is the motif of sparks that again conveys these power dynamics. For instance, when, later, Bruton is reading the grandchildren a story he sees “little sparks […] flying in their eyes” (10). These sparks are created by Bruton and are a physical manifestation of the growing connection he develops with his grandchildren after having seized greater control of his situation. By the end of the story, he is now the creator of the sparks and is thereby illustrated to be in greater control.
