His Final Mother by Reynolds Price
"His Final Mother" by Reynolds Price is a poignant narrative centered around the emotional turmoil faced by twelve-year-old Crawford following the sudden death of his mother, Adele. The story opens with a dramatic event—the collapse of Adele while hanging a quilt, a moment that propels Crawford into a reluctant adult role as he navigates the immediate aftermath of her passing. Faced with the responsibility of directing emergency services and managing his father's emotional state, Crawford grapples with his understanding of bravery and maturity amidst his grief.
As he attempts to comfort his father, Crawford's experiences reveal the complexities of loss and the fragility of familial bonds. Struggling with feelings of fear and isolation, he reflects on his memories of his mother and seeks solace in the comfort of dreams and visions. The narrative explores themes of childhood innocence, the challenge of adult responsibilities, and the enduring connection between a child and their parent, even in the face of tragedy. The haunting presence of Adele in Crawford’s memories serves as a reminder of the love that persists beyond death, shaping the boy's journey toward acceptance and understanding of his loss.
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His Final Mother by Reynolds Price
First published: 1990
Type of plot: Psychological
Time of work: The twentieth century
Locale: Southern United States
Principal Characters:
Crawford Langley , a twelve-year-old boyHis father Adele , his mother
The Story
Adele Langley, the mother of twelve-year-old Crawford, drops dead while hanging a quilt on the backyard clothesline. All the family had been sure her racing heart would shorten her life. Now Crawford must face the crisis that everyone expected. The boy directs the ambulance, sends the body to the funeral home, and waits for his father, who is away on an errand, to arrive. In his attempt to become grown up, Crawford tries to assume an adult role, taking charge in his father's absence.
Crawford analyzes each stage of his own maturation. Bravery, he thinks, is his main ambition. Rather than cry, he goes to his room to pray for strength and passes the time by reading Robinson Crusoe. When his father returns, Crawford braces himself as he prepares to break the tragic news. He worries about how his father will react to the sudden loss of his wife.
Later that night, Crawford accompanies his father on a walk in the woods. Once they forge through the trees and come to a river bank, the father suggests that drowning would be better than living. The boy reassures him that his mother is in heaven waiting for them, but the father rebuffs his attempts at comfort, answering that much of what the boy knows is a lie. The father's sudden lack of belief frightens Crawford.
When the child asks his father to be calm, the father impulsively seizes his son by the neck. Just as suddenly, he releases his grip and walks away. When the boy asks if he is alone, his father answers that he always was. As Crawford makes his way back home, his mind begins to play tricks on him. He suspects that his father has gone mad.
The house is dark. Crawford imagines that his father is holding a butcher knife and waiting for him in the shadows. The boy summons his courage and makes his way upstairs to his bedroom. Unable to sleep or pray, Crawford examines himself and his past actions to see if he is at fault for the tragic events that have occurred. After he slips into a fitful sleep, a light awakens him. The light he sees is not the morning sun, however, but a strange glow emanating from the hallway.
As the boy approaches his parents' room, he sees an apparition of his mother as a young woman, looking as she did long before Crawford was born. Adele appears in the image of the girl his father loved and married; it seems her visionary presence has lulled his father to sleep. Crawford returns to his bedroom less afraid, comforted by his vision and his own memory of his mother. Although her face is gone from his daily world, Crawford decides that her memory is changeless and better in dreams.
Bibliography
Drake, Robert, ed. The Writer and His Tradition. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1969.
Humphries, Jefferson, ed. Conversations with Reynolds Price. Jackson: University of Mississippi Press, 1991.
Kaufman, Wallace. "A Conversation with Reynolds Price." Shenandoah 17 (Spring, 1966): 3-25.
Price, Reynolds. Learning a Trade: A Craftman's Notebooks, 1955-1997. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1998.
Rooke, Constance. Reynolds Price. Boston: Twayne, 1983.
Schiff, James A., ed. Critical Essays on Reynolds Price. New York: G. K. Hall, 1998.
Schiff, James A., ed. Understanding Reynolds Price. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1996.
Shuman, R. Baird. "Reynolds Price." In Encyclopedia of American Literature, edited by Steven R. Serafin. New York: Continuum, 1999.
Woiwode, Larry. "Pursuits of the Flesh, Adventures of the Spirit." The Washington Post Book World, April 26, 1981, p. 5.
Wright, Stuart, and James L. West III. Reynolds Price: A Bibliography, 1949-1984. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1986.