The Drunkard

“The Drunkard” by Frank O’Connor

Question #5

The boys’ drunkenness is seen from four different perspectives, making “The Drunkard” quite humorous. The first perspective of the boy’s drunkenness is from the boy himself. He was motivated to drink his father’s pint because he was thirsty and curious of the drinks’ contents. He began to feel the pleasant effects of the alcohol within a few gulps. “I took a longer drink and began to see that porter might have its advantages. I felt pleasantly elevated and philosophic,” (O’Conner, 347). Through the boys eyes, the audience is able to see the internal effects of the drunkenness. He thinks deep and more “grown-up” thoughts. Also, we see that Larry’s vision becomes distorted, and he gets sick. The other perspective is from his father. He reacts with shock and is frightened of his wife’s reaction when she will see their son. He tried to get his son home as quickly as he could. The third perspective was from a group of old women outside Mrs. Roche’s house. They found Larry extremely amusing and laughed at the Larry, which provoked him to get angry. The fourth perspective is from the people in the bar. They were amused but also calm and held their composure during the scene with Larry and his father. The reactions to Larry’s actions were different with each of the perspectives. All of them found it humorous except for Larry and his father.