Re: Steve as a father

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Re: Re: Steve as a father

Post by Kajori Sheryl Paul »

elizaron878 wrote: 01 May 2019, 03:12 Steve was a single parent, and fully responsible for Jimmie, because his wife had seemingly left them.He was solely responsible for taking care of Jimmie, and had to be away as a Captain to do this.

I believe he did the best that he could under the circumstances.Any single parent can attest to that.
I guess so. However, considering Jimmie's condition he could have found a job near him. Also, I really did not understand how Jimmie's mother could actually leave him like that.
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Post by Kajori Sheryl Paul »

Kibetious wrote: 01 May 2019, 03:34 Apart from Steve showing some good qualities as a father, I guess much can be told from how he valued the lives of his crew members over his job too. This may not be directly related to fatherhood but it reveals some traits too.
That's interesting to note. Also, I guess a ship's captain is like a father-figure to his crew. So yes, I guess it does reveal something.
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Post by Azrevread »

The character Steve is a devoted father that works in a maritime career to pay for his disabled son's
rehabilitative care. He postponed his retirement to help his son Jimmy, yet he still felt guilty. After
years of stress, Steve makes a decision that he thinks is best for him and his son.
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Post by KDJ »

I don't know if it was possible for Steve to pay more attention to Jimmie without somehow changing careers. He tried his best to get him the care he could afford and keep him engaged and in contact. Even though it came at the end of the book, I think Steve did the best he could and ultimately made a good decision for Jimmie and himself. I don't remember seeing where his mother called, visited or assisted with the cost of care. I can't imagine a mother being so seemingly apathetic towards her child. I think Steve did the best he could with the situation. :(
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Post by Miercoles »

I think Steve did his best, given the nature of his job. Treatments for Jimmie were costly and he needed to earn money to help him.
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Post by a-b-c- »

I think that he knew that he had to work and he was doing what he thought was best at the time for his son. I was glad that he asked him to come home in the end.
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Post by Nena_Morena »

Ferdinand_otieno wrote: 02 Apr 2019, 04:25 I think that Steve was a great father who worked himself to death trying to afford the care Jimmie needed, but I believe what Jimmie needed most of all was his father to be present.
I completely agree with you. I was so glad when Steve decided to retire and live with his son; I think that part of Jimmie's depression was his loneliness. I'm sure that living with his dad will help him heal emotionally.
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Post by Tommi »

I think Steve's situation is quite realistic. Many fathers today have to struggle with similar inadequacies.
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Post by cornelia_SD »

I think Steve did his best to be a good father. It's not easy to be a single parent. His focus was to be a good provider, to pay for the institution that is taking care of his son. It's not about abandonment, it's more of trying to survive life, especially if your child's condition is not a normal one.
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Post by DC Brown »

Tommi wrote: 24 Jun 2019, 04:40 I think Steve's situation is quite realistic. Many fathers today have to struggle with similar inadequacies.
CatInTheHat wrote: 02 Apr 2019, 10:14
Kajori50 wrote: 02 Apr 2019, 03:32 Steve did everything he could to provide for Jimmie who was fatally injured. However, he did not give him his time. Jimmy was a lonely boy. He spent his time in the expensive sanatorium. Even his mother washed her hands off him. The only thing he looked forward to was his father's visits. It was only in the end that Steve decided to stay with Jimmie.

Do you think that Steve should have paid more attention to Jimmie?
Jimmie wasn't fatally injured. He didn't die; fatal means death. He did have a life-altering serious injury.
I think he did the best he could. Many people are between a rock and a hard place. As soon as he was able, he took his son home.
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Post by DC Brown »

Kajori50 wrote: 02 Apr 2019, 03:32 Steve did everything he could to provide for Jimmie who was fatally injured. However, he did not give him his time. Jimmy was a lonely boy. He spent his time in the expensive sanatorium. Even his mother washed her hands off him. The only thing he looked forward to was his father's visits. It was only in the end that Steve decided to stay with Jimmie.

Do you think that Steve should have paid more attention to Jimmie?
I think the author presented the dilemma single parents face very well. Without his job, he couldn't pay for Jimmie's care. But having that job kept him away a lot. It seems that the first chance he got, he changed all that and brought Jimmie home.
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Post by Sarah Schmidt »

Yes, he should have paid more attention to his son as life is precious and you don't know when you could lose someone, even more so when faced with the dangers of his profession. However, I think he did the best he could, considering that his son did need access to those facilities at the time and, as you said, the mother had washed her hands of him. He was left to himself in the care of his child so was forced to think more about the financial side of things.
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Post by Michelle Menezes »

I think Steve did the best he could for his son. He had 2 options, either quit his job and find something that would help him spend more time with his son, but it probably wouldn't pay him much OR continue to work and be able to provide for his son at the institution. It's tough both ways, and he did sacrifice a lot for it. Jimmie's mother abandoned him, but Steve stayed. And it's not like he didn't care. He always asked after his son and tried to visit whenever he could. I'm glad the way things turned out for both of them in the end. That moment made me cry.
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Post by Shridhar Suryawanshi »

I loved Steve as a father. He genuinely cared about his son and did all he could to protect him from harm. But yes, I certainly do agree that giving Jimmie his time would have made him a better dad.
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