Archtypical Fathers Essay, Research Paper

Archtypical Fathers

An ideal father is one who is both caring and understanding. To fit this mould, one must

express these characteristics. The outlook and actions of King Henry IV (Shakespeare, Henry IV

Part 1) and Joseph Strorm (Wyndham, The Chrysalids), suggest characters who do not match the

mould of the archetypical ideal father. King Henry IV was a father who thought not much of his

son. He sees his son as a riotous, irresponsible young man. King Henry tells Westmoreland that he

is envious of Lord Northumberland’s son, Hotspur, and that he wishes he could be more

honorable. It shows King Henry’s lack of trust and grasp of his son through conversations with

others. The King has a serious discussion with Prince Hal in act three, where he tells him that he is

starting to behave in the same way as King Richard, and since he is acting this way, the people

will not want him to be the King. The King has his own ideas on how he thinks that the Prince

should live, and for that reason has made the relationship between them very difficult. If only the

King would have been more accepting, the Prince could have lived more like himself. Joseph

Strorm is a father with very strict rules. He cares more about the physical make up of a person than

he does about the actual personality of the person. In the story a very cold side of Joseph Strorm is

shown; he never gets close to his son at all. The only conversation shared between Joseph and his

children are harsh and is often punishment. The way Joseph responded when David jokingly

wished for a third arm showed that he cared more about his image and purity than he did for his

own child. Both King Henry and Joseph Strorm lacked the ability to look eye to eye with their

children. King Henry did not like the way his Prince ran his life, and Joseph Strorm did not care at

all about anything other than if something was pure. These fathers both wished that their children

could have been more like themselves. Both King Henry IV and Joseph Strorm are miserable

fathers and should reevaluate the way they deal with their children.