In the Gloaming by Alice Elliott Dark
"In the Gloaming" by Alice Elliott Dark is a poignant narrative that explores the themes of love, loss, and family dynamics in the face of mortality. The story centers around Laird, a 33-year-old man returning home to spend his final days with his mother, Janet, as he battles AIDS. As Laird reflects on his childhood and the memories associated with his mother, their relationship deepens, revealing the complexities of familial love and regret. Janet's husband, Martin, is depicted as a work-obsessed figure who has struggled to connect with his family, highlighting his emotional distance and the impact it has on their son. Through intimate conversations, Laird and Janet confront their feelings about love, life, and how they wish to honor his memory. The narrative culminates in Laird's passing during the "gloaming," a time that symbolizes both the beauty and the sadness of life’s transitions. Following his death, Janet and Martin share a moment of vulnerability, marking a turning point in their own relationship as they grapple with their loss. Overall, "In the Gloaming" presents a sensitive portrayal of a family's journey through grief, underscoring the importance of connection and understanding in times of tragedy.
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In the Gloaming by Alice Elliott Dark
First published: 1993, as short story; 2000, as short story collection
Type of plot: Domestic realism
Time of work: The 1990's
Locale: Wynnemoor, Pennsylvania
Principal Characters:
Janet , a middle-aged suburban housewife and motherMartin , her husbandLaird , her thirty-three-year-old son
The Story
"In the Gloaming" focuses on a mother's efforts to come to terms with her son's dying of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The story begins when Laird, the thirty-three-year-old son, comes home to die and says he wants to get to know his mother, Janet. Martin, the father, is obsessed with his work and has never had much time for his wife or children. On a summer evening, after they have eaten on the terrace and the father goes to his study to work, Laird looks at the sky and says he remembers that when he was a child his mother told him that this time of day—the late afternoon just before dark—was called the "gloaming" in Scotland. He says he has been remembering a lot recently, mostly about when he was small, probably, he says, because his mother is taking care of him now as she once did.
Laird is well aware of his father's work obsession and feels that his dying is just one more in a long line of disappointments that he has caused his father. When Janet tells him that Martin's failure to spend time with Laird is his loss, Laird says it is his father's loss in her case also. Janet has always known that Martin is an ambitious, self-absorbed man who probably should never have gotten married in the first place. In one of their conversations, Janet says she does not like reading about sex, not because she is a prude but because she believes that sex can never really be portrayed, for the sensations and emotions of sex are beyond language. She asks Laird if he has loved and been loved in return, and when Laird says "yes," she says she is glad.
Laird also tells his mother what he wants for his funeral; he says that he does not want it to be too gloomy, that he wants some decent music, and that he wants her to buy a smashing dress, something mournful, yet elegant. It is during the time of day known as the "gloaming" that Laird dies. As his fingers make knitting motions over his chest, Janet presses her face against his and puts her hands down his busy arms, helping him along until he "finished this last piece of work."
After the funeral, when Janet goes up to Laird's old room and lies down, Martin comes in, and they weep together. Janet says that Laird could not decide about the music, and Martin says he was moved at the bagpipes played at her grandfather's funeral. When she says she thinks that Laird would have liked that idea very much, Martin says, "Please tell me—what else did my boy like?"