No Trace by David Madden
"No Trace" by David Madden is a poignant exploration of grief, secrecy, and the complex dynamics of father-son relationships against the backdrop of societal upheaval in the late 1960s. The narrative begins on June 4, 1968, during a graduation ceremony at Melbourne College, when valedictorian Gordon Foster takes his own life by detonating a grenade, leading to a tragic loss of life. In the aftermath, his father, Ernest Foster, grapples with the harsh reality of his son’s actions by rummaging through Gordon’s dorm room, a space filled with remnants of a turbulent youth characterized by counterculture influences.
As Ernest sifts through the artifacts of his son’s life, he uncovers shocking details that hint at a deep-seated struggle, including Gordon's intimate relationship with his roommate, Jason Carter, a Vietnam War activist. The discovery of letters between the two reveals a troubling influence, as Jason's encouragement to embrace military service contrasts sharply with the tragedy of his own presumed death in combat. Throughout his search, Ernest's motivations evolve from a desire to protect his son’s legacy to a more self-preserving instinct to hide unsettling truths from the authorities and, perhaps, from himself.
The story culminates in a haunting realization of identity and shame, as Ernest's actions lead him to a metaphorical reckoning with his own moral decay. "No Trace" invites readers to reflect on themes of loss, the weight of expectations, and the lengths one might go to shield loved ones from uncomfortable realities. This narrative resonates deeply within the historical context of the Vietnam War era, capturing the chaotic emotions of a generation caught between idealism and disillusionment.
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No Trace by David Madden
First published: 1970
Type of plot: Social realism
Time of work: June 4, 1968
Locale: A college campus in the Midwest
Principal Characters:
Gordon Foster , a college student who commits suicide at his graduationErnest Foster , his fatherLydia Foster , his motherJason Carter , his roommate
The Story
On June 4, 1968, graduation day at Melbourne College in the Midwest, Gordon Foster, valedictorian of his class, has set off a grenade, killing himself and others at the ceremony. His father, Ernest Foster, now climbs the stairs to his dead son's dormitory room—which had been his own room at the college some twenty years earlier. He will enter ahead of the police in order to piece together reasons, if possible, for his son's actions.
The room is replete with psychedelic paint, beer-can pyramids, records in orange crates, colored lights, underground books, and rock music posters. The father, under the influence of a sedative, searches quickly through the remnants of the last four years of his son's life—understanding, misunderstanding, and unable to understand what has happened and why.
Most puzzling of all seems to be his son's relation with his roommate of four years, Jason Carter. Ernest learns that his son has been sleeping in Jason's bed, reading his books, and wearing his clothes. The father discovers any number of items that shock him: semen on his son's sheets, vomit on both his and his roommate's clothes, a picture of Jesus Christ that has been used as a dart board, and irrefutable proof that his son has plagiarized his senior thesis. What troubles the father most, however, is the fact that he can find the letters that Lydia, his wife, sent to Gordon, but not those that he himself sent.
While searching among Gordon's letters and books, Ernest slowly realizes why his son has killed himself and why he did so by setting off a grenade at his own graduation. His roommate had been an activist against the Vietnam War, participating in protests and peace marches. On being drafted, however, Jason had gone to Vietnam. Letters from the roommate cum soulmate had been written to convince Gordon that he, too, should join the army and go fight. Jason had written home about his activities in Vietnam, asserting that he liked the realities of warfare, that he was fighting on the right side, and that Gordon should follow his own example. One of the last letters Ernest discovers is from Jason's parents. Written three days before the graduation, it tells Gordon that Jason is missing in action and most surely dead.
As Ernest goes through his dead son's room, he begins to collect items, then steal them; that is, he begins planning to take them so that they will not be found by the police. Ernest tells himself that he is taking these things, all of which might reveal his son to be a cheater, a war activist, a hippie, or a psychopath, to protect his son's memory and reputation and to protect Lydia from additional heartbreak. The truth, however, is that Ernest is acting to protect himself from such information becoming public through the police or coroner. As the vice president of a large insurance company, Ernest is aware that this will likely occur. Moreover, the insurance company may not pay.
Hauling out boxes of items so as to leave no trace, Ernest escapes to the garbage dump where he buries them. When gunshots go off in the darkness, he hears hunters talking and realizes that they are shooting rats. His final realization as he himself runs is that perhaps he, too, has become a rat.