Works Cited

Works Cited

Mallers, Melanie H., Matt Englar Carlson, and Jon Carlson. "Father-Son Relationships." Poisonous parenting: Toxic relationships between parents and their adult children. 119-143. New York, NY, US: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group, 2011. PsycINFO. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.

The above source provides commentary on the relationship between fathers and sons, which is a very important aspect in my essay. I will be analyzing the relationship between Hal and Cully, and how it affects both of their lives. This source will provide me with a basis of how father-son relationships work, and how they can go wrong.

Richardson, Shandel. "Father-son relationship suitable for the movies." Orlando Sentinel, The (FL) 15 Aug. 2008, FINAL, SPORTS: D1. NewsBank. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.

Although this news article is older than five years, it examines a relationship between a father and son deeply rooted in football, which I feel will help to progress my essay. Some quotes in this article will help compare and contrast Hal and Cully with another football-oriented father-son relationship.

Steinke, René. Friendswood. New York City: Riverhead, 2014. Print.

This is the book that contains the two major characters I will be speaking about in my essay, Cully Holbrook and Hal Holbrook. Using this book will allow me to analyze how their relationship affects their individual lives.

Warren, Roland C. “The 4 Things Every Son Needs From His Father.” Oprah.com, 25 Mar. 2013, www.oprah.com/relationships/father-son-relationships-things-only-a-dad-can-teach-his-kids.
This blog post / article posted on Oprah Winfrey’s website presents advice from a father about the things that a child needs from a father. I will use this information to compare the things that Mr. Warren feels are necessary to children and the things that Hal may or may not be giving to Cully. This will help me by serving as a baseline for father-son relationships.

10 Questions, Topic, and Working Thesis

10 Questions

1. How does Hal’s past affect Cully’s future?
2. How does this relationship play into what happened with Willa?
3. How does Hal’s reaction to the rape affect Cully’s thoughts on the matter?
4. What internal struggle does Cully face that stems from his relationship with his father?
5. How does Cully influence Hal’s striving for success?
6. Are Hal and Cully helping each other or hindering each other in their own pursuits?
7. Why does Cully take Jose as a father figure over his own father?
8. How does Hal react to Jose?
9. How does Hal's reaction to Jose affect the relationship between Hal and Cully?
10. How does Cully mirror his father? How does he differ?

Topic

My essay will delve into the relationship between Cully and his father, Hal. It will analyze both the effects they have on each other as well as their general feelings towards one another. More specifically, I will talk about how they fall into each other's walks of life, and how they either help or hinder each other.

Working Thesis

In Friendswood by Rene Steinke, Cully is most influenced by his father, Hal. The relationship between a father and son is the most important relationship in a young man's life, especially in regards to the way he will act in his adult life.