A Few Notes for Orpheus

        The idea an individual may have upon the future is an odd yet mindful conception. The future of an event or situation is often formed and built upon the events which have taken place in the past. It is difficult to look at a situation in the present when issues from the past still arise resulting in uncertainty. Gus's father has his own unsettled past with Gus, which is similar to how Gus feels around his own father. Knowing that even though one's past may be doubtful or uncertain, it does not allow an individual to ponder on it for long. When one goes back to revisit the people and places of the past, it allows the individual to change the uncertainties in the past and create a new, certain future. When individuals deal with uncertainties from their past, it often doesn’t leave a lot of room for one to dwell upon. Therefore individuals have to revisit people and places and witness scenarios in the present which allow our past recollections to resolve old uncertainties.

         In the story “A Few Notes from Orpheus”,  Gus and his father's relationship was far from being idealistic growing up. He didn't have the perfect father-son bondage and connection that he hoped for. Gus also faced difficulty to make his  father proud, especially during his physical activities because Gus was not good at anything physical, and his father being such a great golfer, had high standards for Gus. He was doubtful as to whether his father truly cared about him when he would attempt and latch onto new opportunities. Gus's father would quietly just observe his son during his plays , or sometimes did not show up at all to encourage him because he was busy doing something for himself, which was likely playing golf. Gus's lack of bondage with his father got him to maintain a mindset where he felt as if the relationship would never heal.  Gus had not seen his father in two years and for the first time, his own daughter, Cathy, who rarely visits him, would get the opportunity to meet her grandfather. Gus's emotions change as his recollection makes him feel that he is being visited by his past while taking her to meet her grandfather, where he begins to dwell upon it. When they both arrive there, Gus is stunned as to how deferential and at peace his father is when meeting his granddaughter who he hasn’t ever met before. Gus did not think his father would be all that calm seeing as he wasn’t calm with Gus. When they were going to prepare the fishing essentials, his father suggests to bring her along. Before Gus had the opportunity to reply, his father helps his grandkid on the boat. Gus hesitates for the courage to get on, due to the uncertainties in the past which created unclear barriers presently. He pondered on the past by having flashbacks of the hesitant times and hoping his daughter’s life would be different, but also better. 

During fishing, Gus has another unsure moment. Cathy leans over towards the side of the boat, where she claim she saw something when suddenly she falls into her own reflection. The memory that Gus gets is due to his past experience when he was younger and had a similar incident where he fell off the dock when he was with his father. He reminisces about the feeling of the water and his dad not jumping in to save him from drowning which are represented by the fishing hook that came to retrieve him which left him with painful scars on his body as permanent signs of the scenario. Gus begins to get curious on why his father doesn’t reach in to save Cathy; beginning to assume that maybe he doesn’t want the past choices of rescuing Gus reoccur. Though Gus's father is easily within the reach of saving her, he cries for Gus to save her. Gus does save his daughter though he fears himself drowning. At first, it seems very odd that Cathy's grandfather would not reach for the endangered child, but by making his son save his own child, Gus's father does this for Gus to help heal the uncertainty that was in their past relationship. Gus remembers everything his father did to him that was wrong and does not want to end up treating Cathy similar to how he was treated. Difficulty maintaining a strong connection with his father gave a distant feel, and Gus does not want his daughter to feel uncertain or experience what he did as she grows up. Knowing that his dad showed compassion for a grandchild he has never seen in his life gave him hope he had changed. When Gus’ father acted calm, polite and displayed sympathy, he knew he had done things wrong as a parent to Gus. The impression given is that although your past is behind you, it may take longer to get over the past choices and decisions made. Resolving past ambiguities creates a certain future for those around you as well as yourself.

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