Visions of Our Time

27 March 2007

ENC 1102

Dr. Lacrone

Visions of Our Time

John Wideman starts off Our Time with the story of his friend Garth on his death bed. Using extreme detail its hard not to believe you are staring him right in the face. The story of John and Robby’s mother is inspiration for willpower. Not only a smart and sophisticated woman, but keeps her head up during all the bad times. Also, never disrespects anyone. The story of their mother has to do with John and Robby because she is a key ingredient in helping them cope with Garth’s death.

Wideman tells stories of his mother in his excerpt. He never realized how much his mother changed until she told him Garth’s story. Most of the time remained calm, but had her grudges and quarrels. She reacted strongly to things but at the same time kept opinions to herself. “My mother had that capacity. I’d admired, envied, and benefited infinitely from its presence. As she related the story of Garth’s death and my brother’s anger and remorse, her tone was uncompromisingly bitter”(Wideman 698). Always believed that Garth’s caretakers killed Garth and his dying had killed a part of Robby.

“Before she told Garth’s story, my mother had already changed, but it took years for me to realize how profoundly she hated what had been done to Garth and then to Robby” (Wideman 698). Her friendliness hid her true feeling for people. “In spite of all her temperamental and philosophic resistance to extremes, my mother would be radicalized. What the demonstrations, protest marches, and slogans of the sixties had not effected and would be accomplished by Garth’s death and my brother’s troubles” (Wideman 699). Even though Robby was locked up and put in jail, the love for her son would never change. Trying to make herself believe that everything wasn’t Robby’s fault, still was able to exercise her love for him. Accepting the version of reality encoded in the government’s rules