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Summary
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in My Oedipus Complex, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Father vs. Son
Coming of Age
Childhood and Adulthood
Summary
Analysis
Larry’s father served in World War I, which meant that Larry didn’t see him much until he turned five. In wartime, his father would come and go mysteriously “like Santa Claus.” When his father would visit, Larry would squeeze into bed with him and Larry’s mother, which was not an easy fit. When his father left, he would leave behind souvenirs from war—knives, bullet cases, badges—that Larry would rifle through.
The first five years of a child’s life play a large part in their development, foreshadowing that the long absences of Larry’s father will have a big influence on Larry. At this stage in Larry’s life, his father no more familiar to him than Santa Claus: Larry’s father is described only by his entrances and exits, and the trail of knickknacks he leaves behind.
Themes
Wartime was peaceful for Larry. In the mornings, he would wake with the dawn, full of energy, and gossip with Mrs. Left and Mrs. Right, nicknames he gives to his feet. Unable to get his mother to comply with his request for a baby, Larry vents to Mrs. Left and Mrs. Right; according to Larry’s mother, the family cannot afford a baby until his father returns home. Dismissing his mother as simple, Larry insists that their neighbors, the Geneys, recently had a baby, so there must be cheaper babies on the market than the one his mother wants.
O’Connor is quick to show that Larry’s character has many sides. Larry says that wartime is peaceful for him, revealing that he is too young and self-involved to understand issues outside of himself. Despite his lack of awareness, Larry is charismatic and imaginative, making clever use of his feet by talking to them as a way of working through problems. Both trusting and naïve, Larry believes his mother’s false explanation of buying babies. In addition to being a cute story, the anecdote about the Geneys makes Larry appear likeable and endearing. This strategic move primes the reader to root for Larry as the story progresses.
Themes
Larry grows accustomed to moving from his bed to his mother’s in the morning. Somewhere between warming up beside his mother, plotting out his day, and eating breakfast, Larry takes a brief nap. Each day, Larry accompanies his mother into town, running errands and attending mass. Following his mother’s example, Larry prays for the safe return of his father. “Little, indeed, did I know what I was praying for!” he remarks.
Themes
One morning, Larry wakes up to find his father in the master bed. When Larry sees his father change into a suit instead of his uniform, he realizes his father has returned for good. He’s less interesting to Larry this way. As Larry’s father speaks solemnly with his mother, Larry worries about her—anxiety makes her less pretty, he thinks. He interrupts his father several times, but each time his mother shushes him.
Themes
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Larry’s mother has her husband take Larry on a walk through town, and Larry’s hopes for improved relations are quickly dashed. His father is not interested in things like trains and horses; instead, he wants to lean on walls and speak with men his own age. As Larry tries to get his father’s attention, his father ignores him, which makes Larry want to cry.
At teatime, Larry’s mother and father converse again, with his father reading aloud from the newspaper. Larry feels that this is unfair; while he is prepared to fight his father for his mother’s attention, the newspaper gives his father built-in content for conversation. Nonetheless, Larry tries to change the subject a few times, but his mother shuts him down. From this, Larry decides that his father is either a better conversationalist than he, or that his father has ensnared his mother in an impossible trap.
Themes
Saying goodnight to his mother, Larry asks whether God might send his father back to war if he prayed for it. Larry’s mother thinks and then says no, because the war has ended. When Larry asks if God could make another war, his mother says that only “bad people” make wars, which makes Larry think that God isn’t worth the hype.
The next morning, Larry wakes up full of energy and eager to share his plans with his mother. He climbs into bed, but finds his father taking up “more than his fair share” of room. He kicks his father to move him, but when he tries to speak with his mother, she tells him not to wake his father. “Poor daddy” is tired, she claims, which Larry finds an insufficient excuse. This conversation wakes Larry’s father, who seems grouchy. Larry is stunned when his mother speaks in a timid voice, trying to placate her husband by asking if he wants tea.
Previously, Larry told his mother that the two of them sharing a bed would be more efficient, but Larry’s mother said that having separate beds is “healthier.” Now, Larry is infuriated that his father shares his mother’s bed without any attention to her health.
Themes
Larry’s father gets out of bed and brings tea for himself and for Larry’s mother. Larry wants a cup of tea, and his mother offers some of hers, but Larry isn’t satisfied; he wants to be treated “as an equal in my own home.” Out of spite, he drinks all his mother’s tea.
Themes
Larry’s mother tucks Larry in for the night, making him promise not to disturb “poor Daddy” in the morning. She reminds him of Miss MacCarthy at the Post Office, who gave the family their army pension during the war. Now that the war is over, Larry’s father must get a proper night’s rest so he can provide for the family—otherwise, they will have to beg. Larry understands the gravity of the situation, and he resolves to sleep in his own bed.
Themes
Even though he tries, Larry can’t resist the temptation of going to his parents’ bed. Larry’s mother permits him to stay so long as he doesn’t talk. Not accepting this, Larry says that his father should have his own bed since he wants to sleep and Larry wants to talk. He kicks his father, jolting him awake. When his mother tries to lift him and return him to his room, Larry begins shrieking in protest.
Larry’s father shouts at his son and says that it’s time for Larry to break his habit of throwing tantrums. Stunned at his father’s new and startling tone, Larry stops his screaming. He ignores his father’s threat to spank him, telling him to spank himself. Larry’s father delivers a lifeless spanking as Larry’s mother watches in dismay. After this humiliation, Larry comes to two conclusions: that his father must be jealous of Larry, and that his mother deserves to feel pain for being stuck in the middle.
The aftermath of Larry’s spanking is gruesome. Larry and his father shamelessly scheme to steal the attention of Larry’s mother. After Larry’s father catches Larry going through his war curios, he becomes upset. Larry’s mother mediates by reminding Larry that, since his father doesn’t play with his toys, Larry should not play with “Daddy’s toys” unless given permission. Larry’s father pouts that his prized belongings are not toys.
Themes
Larry tries to figure out what makes his father so appealing to his mother. Even though Larry thinks he himself is a better catch, he tries to take up some of his father’s habits. He makes up pieces of news to share with his mother, and tries smoking his father’s pipes until he gets caught. Larry starts spying on his parents to investigate their sleeping habits. He pretends to talk to himself so that his parents won’t catch on to his snooping, but he is disappointed when “they were never up to anything that [Larry] could see.”
Themes
Larry proclaims in front of both parents that he is going to marry his mother. His father laughs in disbelief, while his mother smiles and responds, “Won’t that be nice?” Larry agrees, saying that he and his mother will have lots of babies. Larry’s mother pledges that a baby should be along shortly to give Larry a companion. Larry is satisfied that his mother is finally respecting what he wants.
The new baby arrives. Much to Larry’s surprise and displeasure, Sonny cries constantly and rarely sleeps. Tired of hearing “Don’t-wake-Sonny!” Larry pinches his baby brother when his mother isn’t looking in order to recalibrate his sleeping schedule. His mother punishes Larry and becomes more impatient with him.
Larry is playing in the garden when he sees his father come home from work. Larry pretends to talk to himself, threatening to walk out “if another bloody baby comes into [Larry’s] house.” Larry’s father overhears and gives Larry a warning, but Larry insists that it doesn’t count since he was only chatting with himself. Larry’s father begins to be nicer to Larry. This is not surprising to him, since his mother is acting silly and gives all her attention to Sonny. Larry senses camaraderie with his father, praising his “fine intelligence” and ability to see past Sonny’s cries for attention.
Themes
A startled Larry wakes up one evening to find that he is not alone in his bed. He thinks that his mother has finally “come to her senses and left Father for good.” After hearing her voice comforting a crying Sonny in the next room, Larry realizes it isn’t his mother beside him. He sees his father, “wide awake, breathing hard and apparently as mad as hell.” Larry feels a rush of compassion, realizing that now his father was the one being kicked out of bed for another man (or, in this case, the new baby). Larry comforts his father.
Larry’s father grumpily inquires why Larry is also awake, and Larry asks his father to hug him. Larry’s father begrudgingly puts his arm around his son. His arm is bony, but Larry is nonetheless comforted. Larry shares that, the following Christmas, his father “went out of his way” to buy an expensive model railway for Larry.
