“My Oedipus” a story written by Frank O’Connor tells a story about a young boy named Larry and his feelings towards his father. When his father came home from World War II, Larry finds himself jealous of his father and hating that he is home. Larry fears losing his mothers attention, so he finds himself competing with his father for his mothers attention. This story focuses on Larry getting use to his father being home from the war. And how it effects his relationship with his mother. Since Larry is not the only one at the house for his mother to care for he feels that he has to do more to keep her attention focused on him. When Larry’s father returned home he felt that his mother started acting different towards him. His mother would ask him to not come and get into her bed in the morning because his father needed his rest. Therefore Larry felt as if his mother was choosing his father over him. Larry did the opposite of what his mother asked him to do. He would come in every morning, get in the bed and start talking to his mother. Mother did not like that. At times it may seem that mother is desperately trying to please father, she is actually drawing more attention to herself. Throughout the story mother says, “Just a moment, Larry” or “Do be quiet, Larry”. When she says these types of things, she is only making the competitions between Larry and his father more intense. When mother pushes Larry away in these situations, it makes him jealous of the attention his mother is giving his father and makes Larry try harder and harder to get the same attention. When mother says “Don't wake Daddy” she is not saying it for the benefit of the father but rather herself. When father is sleeping and it is just her and Larry, there is no question that she is the one in control. During this time, the mother is able to exercise her authority freely. Larry and his father fail to realize that by both of them competing for her attention they are giving her the upper hand. They are so desperate for that attention, they will do anything to get it. Which means whatever mother wants, she will get, this gives her power. Larry wants his mother's attention so badly he will even insult his father to make him jealous. Just by saying things to his mother like, “I'm going to marry you and we're going to have lots and lots of babies.” Rather than the mother saying something to help him understand that he could never do that, she just goes along with it. Although such comments were surely thought of as funny, on some level it probably made the father a bit jealous, which the mother most likely expected.
As the story continues, it becomes even clearer that the mother is the one in control. When she gives birth to a baby boy named Sonny, Larry and his father are forced to compete for her attention not just with each other but also with the baby. The mother has so much power by the end of the story that she even has the power to kick the father out of bed for the baby.

It is clear that the mother was in full control throughout the whole story. It is because of Larry and the father's thirst for her attention that she had all the power. As the story went on, her power only increased, especially after the arrival of Sonny. This was unusual because there was no sign of male authority in social order. It is especially odd when considering the time that the story takes place since, during that time, males would have the upper hand.

Fourth Essay
English 1102 Spring 2012
By: Clevelonda Hollice
For: Dr. Wang