One Drink Too Many

One Drink Too Many

            Often times, an innocent perspective brings comic relief and irony into a situation. In Frank O’Connor’s “The Drunkard,” the reader is introduced to Larry, a young boy, and his father, an on-gain-off-again alcoholic. In the beginning, the father is in a phase of long-term sobriety, but the death of the “remarkably intelligent” (O’Connor 539) Mr. Dooley leads Larry and his mother to assume the father will experience a dreadful relapse. Through O’Connor’s use of situational irony and first-person perspective, “The Drunkard” captivates its readers and tackles a touchy subject with humor and entertainment.

            Having this experience told from the perspective of Larry is unique in that it creates a sort of innocence and humor. The boy seems to acknowledge his father’s alcohol abuse and potential relapse as evinced by his saying, “I was being attached to the party to act as a brake on Father” (541). The boy understand that at this party his father plans on becoming inebriated to the point where he will have to act as a “brake” to keep his father from going to far. In addition, more comic relief can be seen when Larry curiously takes a sip of his father’s beverage: “It was a terrible disappointment. I was astonished that he could ever drink such stuff. It looked as if he never tried lemonade” (542).

 Though Larry does not enjoy the taste of the alcoholic beverage, he does enjoy its unique effect: “but the wonderful thing about porter was the way it made you stand aside, or rather aloft like a cherub rolling on a cloud…and suddenly you get embarrassed and wanted to giggle” (542-543). Larry’s description of feeling drunk is funny in that it is relatable to many people’s first drunk experience. Furthermore, the imagery of an intoxicated child in a bar in itself is hilarious.

The bar scene in itself is ironic because the father went in with the intention of getting drunk, but in a twist it was Larry who drank one too many—literally. Furthermore, throughout the entire night, Larry was insistent on leaving, and held the motion that he would have to carry his drunken father home. Nevertheless, at the end, it was the father who forced an exit and carried his drunken son home. The most hilarious situational irony presented came at the end of the short story: “’My brave little man!’ she said with her eyes shining. ‘It was God did it you were there. You were the guardian angel.’” (546). Rather than scold her son for drinking, the mother applauds him for successfully acting as his father’s “brake.”

Although comic relief and irony are plentiful in the short story, it does not take away from the central motif of “The Drunkard.” Often times, it takes a good look in the mirror to stop one’s wayward ways. The father, having seen his son in such a damaged and inebriated state proclaims his dedication to sobriety: “Never again, never again, not if I lived to be a thousand!” (545).