The Ordinary Son by Ron Carlson
"The Ordinary Son" by Ron Carlson tells the coming-of-age story of Reed Landers, a seventeen-year-old boy who feels overshadowed by his extraordinary family of geniuses. Set in the summer of 1966 in suburban Houston, Texas, the narrative unfolds through Reed's reflections on his upbringing. His father, Duncan, is a NASA scientist, while his mother, Gloria, is a socially active poet, both deeply absorbed in their intellectual pursuits. Reed grapples with the family's high expectations, particularly as his younger brother Garrett begins to show signs of brilliance.
As Reed navigates his teenage years, he experiences a pivotal shift when he embraces a more ordinary lifestyle. He takes a job at a motel, begins to enjoy simple pleasures, and forms a deeper connection with his best friend Jeff. This contrast between his family's genius and his own experiences leads Reed to discover his unique gifts and the value of an ordinary life. Through his journey, Carlson explores themes of identity, familial pressure, and the societal implications of genius, ultimately highlighting the importance of finding happiness beyond exceptionalism.
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The Ordinary Son by Ron Carlson
First published: 1999
Type of plot: Domestic realism, coming of age
Time of work: Summer, 1966
Locale: Houston, Texas
Principal Characters:
Reed Landers , the narratorDuncan Landers , his fatherGloria Rainstrap , his motherChristina Rosetti , his older sisterGarrett Landers , his younger brother
The Story
Reed Landers is the ordinary son in an extraordinary family of geniuses. Looking back from the perspective of adulthood, Reed narrates the story of his family and several key incidents in the summer of 1966. Reed's father is Duncan Landers, a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scientist who has changed his last name from Lrsdysksz to Landers to accommodate the public relations department at the agency. Reed's mother is Gloria Rainstrap, a poet and social activist who spends most of her time traveling around the country and giving poetry readings and speeches on behalf of migrant workers and other disadvantaged groups.
Life at the family home in suburban Houston, Texas, reflects the idiosyncrasies of a household of geniuses, each of whom is preoccupied with his or her own intellectual pursuits. Duncan works at a drafting board in the front hallway of the house, and Gloria is constantly on the road trying to advance social causes. The family survives on a diet of sardines and crackers in a house that lacks a telephone, television, or automobile. The daughter leaves home to study chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology but later joins her mother's social crusading. Meantime, Reed waits for the spark of the family's genius to strike him.
In the summer of 1966, when he is seventeen, Reed is finally freed from the expectation of following in the inspired footsteps of his parents and sister when his little brother Garrett manifests the signs of genius. Reed realizes that the family's genius has passed him by and pursues a more normal life. Reed buys a car, a green Plymouth Fury III, and goes to work doing odd jobs at the San Jacinto Resort Motel. His best friend, Jeff Schreckenbah, works next door at Alfredo's American Café. He starts buying fashionable clothes for himself and living the life of a typical American teenager.
While working at the motel, Reed has a pivotal experience that opens up the new world of ordinary life and reveals his own special gifts. One day, while on break, Jeff and Reed are engaged in a typical male adolescent conversation about sex. Recognizing Reed's total lack of experience and knowledge of sexual matters, Jeff decides to enlighten his ignorant friend. Mr. Shinetower, a permanent resident of the motel where Reed works, has an extensive collection of pornography. While the old man is having his lunch at the café, the boys sneak out and break into the man's room. Jeff picks up one of Mr. Shinetower's magazines and opens it to a closeup of female genitalia. Looking for the first time at these pictures of the female body, Reed has a near epiphany. He gazes at the photograph like an explorer. Mr. Shinetower returns early from his lunch, and the boys barely escape without being discovered.
Reed begins to enjoy his new life as a non-genius. His work is simple, involving landscaping, sweeping the parking lot, cleaning the pool, and general light maintenance. It is a far cry from the advanced studies and avocations of the rest of his family, but the money he earns provides a new sense of freedom and opens up a life radically different from what he has known before. At Jeff's house, Reed becomes acquainted with life in a normal household. They help Jeff's father work on race cars in his shop. The boys also go on regular excursions to fish in the surf near Galveston. Smoking cigars and drinking beer, Reed and Jeff build a fire on the beach and fish all night.
After his genius is discovered, Reed's brother Garrett moves out of the house to study at Rice University. Reed goes to visit his brother in the dorm where he lives with other child prodigies. Watching the children in the lunchroom, who have to be encouraged to eat by the adult monitors, Reed begins to understand the destructive effects that the gift of genius has on children like Garrett and on families like his own. After eating lunch with Garrett and his friend Donna Li, Reed takes them outside to admire his Plymouth Fury III, which still smells of half-rotten shrimp bait from a recent fishing trip. The children are amazed by the size and power of the car, which is so different from their surroundings in a world of geniuses. As Reed drives away, he hopes that his brother and the other children will be able to find their way to the simple happiness of a normal life.