In the story "My Father's Life" Raymond Carver spends significant amount of time describing the life of his father. However, it seems strange that he does not reflect much about any personal memories of his relationship with his father. It seems that while growing up his father was too involved with the struggles of life and thus never had the chance to build a relationship with his son. As he grew old the author was too involved with his struggles to build up any meaningful relationship with his father before he pass away.
             I see it too often in our society that financial, social, and other demands prevent parents and children from having a productive and meaningful relationship. While the author was growing up his father was busy with trying to find a stable job to support this family. His drinking problem and adulterous lifestyle coupled with the fact that he was constantly moving made it hard to have enduring relationship with his son. Yet I still see that author is motivated enough to write about his father. One of the motivating factors could have been his longing to seek the answers regarding his relationship with his father.
             I notice that the author hardly mentioned about his wife and son and his relationship with them. Therefore it is likely that he would suffer from same inability to form a bond with his son just like his father was unable to do with him.
             In his poem, he makes a reference to have a drinking problem just like his father. Perhaps he realizes that alcoholism coupled with daily struggles of life keep him away from having a better relationship with his family. By revisiting the life of his father, he may be expecting for that similarity to jump out at him.
             The bond between father and son is a special one. In most cases the son is bond to try to reflect the problems and challenges in the same light as he remembers his father doing.
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