Analyse af Ron Wallaces novelle 'Logjam'

“Logjam” is a short-story written by Ron Wallace. The main theme of the story is parental conflict, and the plot revolves around a conflict between two parents who are on a camping trip. It is told from the point of view of the father. We follow his thoughts and his thoughts only, although he does try to guess what his partner, Christine, is thinking: “He knew she knew he didn’t want to camp” (line 36). That we only know the thoughts of the father makes the conflict a little one-sided, as the mother’s reasoning is not explained.

The parents conceal their anger toward each other with kindness. This is their unique way of arguing, which they may have developed to be able to hide their conflict from their children. However, Phoebe is clearly old enough to see through this tactic. In some ways, the parents are almost direct opposites from each other. The mom prefers to talk things out, while the dad would like to keep them silent. This difference is a fundamental one, as addressing problems is a very important part of any relationship. There is also a power struggle between the two that the mom seems to have won: “So the power shifted from his benevolent monarchy to her reign of terror, her strong-arm dictatorship” (line 78). One could imagine that in a healthy relationship, the two would share the power equally with no problems.