"The Drunkard" Frank O'Connor

This story is ironic in different ways. The reversal of roles between the son and the father is ironic, because usually it is the father that is drunk and making a fool of himself and the son that has to walk him home. Instead, in this occurance, the son is drunk and yelling at the women on the street that are laughing at this amusing sight while the father is just trying to get him home. It is also ironic when the people tell the mother that the father got the son drunk to entertain himself, when really the son ruined his night. But I think the biggest irony of all is how the mother praises the son for getting drunk, because it distracted the father which made it impossible for him to get drunk himself. Usually a mother would scold her son or at least be concerned with the fact that her child got drunk, instead she says that he is his father's guardian angel and God sent him there. I thought it was strange that the biggest concern of the mother was that the father wouldn't go to work the next day so he wouldn't be making money that day when he was out getting drunk and acting foolish while she was at home.