Bruton comes across as caring throughout the story. Not only is he willing to stay at home and take care of his grandchildren, but he actually seems to be making an effort to ensure that things change for the better. The story starts with Bruton musing over the fate of all his children, demonstrating knowledge of what is currently occurring in their lives, only made possible through continued involvement. Further, Bruton agrees to weld his oldest daughter’s bed, despite the fact that he is already burdened with four children he has to take care of.
Bruton also displays a caring attitude when we see that he actually seems to mind about what people think of him within the community. He seems to display concern for what other people think of the name he has given his car “bastardmobile”, aptly captured when he says, “I stared at my car and wondered if its name had spread throughout the community, if everywhere I drove people would call out, "Here comes the bastardmobile." Following their trip to buy “Icees,” Bruton takes it upon himself to discipline the children, starting with Freddie, who he reprimands for using foul language. Once he and the children arrive back in the house, Bruton takes it upon himself to institute good morals into the children, by reading them the bible.
Judgmental
Throughout the story, Bruton engages in numerous instances of name calling, seemingly giving people labels he feels are merited, even in cases where they might not be. Furthermore, his assessments seem a little over the top and in some cases totally uncalled for. The derogatory manner with which he refers first to his children, then grandchildren, and lecturers is not only mean, but unnecessary. He even goes as far as to insult the education system and history of the United States when he says, “I got my money's worth learning about people that don't have hearts no bigger than bird shot.” In addition, Bruton’s reaction to an assertion by Moonbean that Mr. Fondlyson looks like God is an apt example of how judgmental Bruton is; he says “My mouth dropped a bit. "You mean Mr. Fordlyson? That man don't look like God." He seemingly does not believe that Fondlyson can look anything like God, especially because of his attitude towards him, and more so after their encounter at the Pak-a Sak
Irresponsible
Bruton, though not really alarmingly so, is depicted as irresponsible right from the beginning: he attempts to weld while in the company of children, as if oblivious of the numerous hazards involved. Thereafter, Bruton lets his grand children play on a suspended engine, also worryingly dangerous, but somehow not significantly so for Bruton, to the extent that he is willing to let them continue playing. The most significant indictment of Bruton’s sense of responsibility is seen during his encounter with the Fondlysons, when the older Fondlyson snorts and says, "Maybe you can do better with this batch," indeed making a valid observation that Bruton did not do very well with his children. This assertion is validated by Bruton’s claim that the children turned out the way they did (all single parents) because their mother was too busy, absolving himself of blame. Furthermore, when describing in passing, how Fondlyson’s life and children turned out significantly differently, one cannot help but feel a sense of envy by Bruton, as if an admission that he could have perhaps turned out better than he did; a “now-and-then welder.”
Work Cited
Gatreaux, Tim. Welding with Children. Picador, 1999. Print
