Conflicts On Short Stories: “The Quartet” and “The Snob”

8 Pages 2040 Words

love and if you are not loved you fail. John didn’t grasp this concept and terribly hurt the person that loved him the most- his father. In “The Snob” there is a conflict between John and his father, even though they never say a word to each other. John started his life with a loving family, mother and father, all three in the bedroom, sharing stories and ideas, projecting the love of a mother and a father: “ Every night when John came home, whether it was early or late, he used to go into his father’s and mother’s bedroom and turn on the light and talk to them about the interesting thing that had happen to him during the day.” All was well; his life was established. John and his father highlight the sale stability of his son, willing to deny the appearance for his self-serving lie. He wants to portray himself for what he is not. John Harcourt jr. tried to hide his father from Grace, because he is ashamed of him, he says: “I can’t introduce him, It’ll be easier for everybody if he doesn’t see us”, but by doing so, he actually amplified his father’s existence and social status.

John can’t face who he truly is. He says: “ Grace’s father was a smooth, confident manner of a man who had lived all his life among people who were rich and sure of themselves.” He is far too jealous of Grace’s family and he desires to have something else, something different from what he had before. He wants a rich and a powerful family. John’s father notices the son’s uneasiness from his presence....