Essay Questions

Describe the factors that encourage Winton's unhealthy habit in "The Boy Behind the Curtain"?

Teenage Winton develops an unhealthy habit of aiming his father's gun at passers-by. He does so whenever he is alone in the house. Winton recounts, "None of the townsfolk laboring uphill to pass by had wronged me—I didn't know any of them, I was a total newbie-so I had no intention of harming or frightening them. But to view something through a gun sight is to see it jump or fall or explode in your mind's eye. You know perfectly well that if you pull that trigger your target will be transformed in an instant, perhaps forever." He stands behind the curtain while aiming, ensuring no one can see him. He justifies his weird habit by arguing that it is not dangerous because whenever he points the gun, it is not usually loaded. Besides, his parents are unaware of the habit and have forbidden him from handling the gun whenever they are in the house. He is excited by the possibility of pulling the trigger, but he does not do it.

Analyse Winton's reasons for not appreciating his father dropping him at his school in "Betsy"?

Winton is ashamed of his father's car because it is not a prestigious brand. He fears being seen riding in it; he strives not to be seen by strangers while in it. Winton confesses, "He thought a lift in the mornings might steady my nerves in the first few weeks. Which was kind, I know, but the gesture was wasted on me. I spent those brief trips finding new ways to slide so low in the passenger seat as to become invisible." He does not appreciate his father's offer to drop him at school because his schoolmates will see their car. Winton feels humiliated at the end of the ride when he must kiss his father before going to school. Winton is an ordinary teenager who is embarrassed by his parents' choice of car. In light of his generation, the cars his parents drive are a source of shame and not prestige.

Explain the relevance of the metaphorical stowaway in "Betsy."

While on a road trip, Winton, his brother, and his dad discern a strange smell in their car. The dad stops to check himself and realizes his singlet is soiled. Winton expounds, "Suffice it to say that in the event of an unscheduled roadside comfort stop, a long and saggy singlet is not helpful attire. Dad had brought a stowaway aboard. It will surprise nobody to learn that with a shortage of water and no more tissues available the remainder of the trip was a test of character for all." The soiling had happened when he went to relieve himself during their journey, given that he suffers from an irritable bowel. The dad becomes so mortified by the memories of the incident that he resolves to retire Betsy. After the retirement, it is replaced by an Austin Lancer.