Essay Response to Little Lizzie

Literary Analysis on Little Lizzie

                Imagine having a dad who drinks all the time and comes home drunk every day from work.  He then throws stuff around the house and acts all crazy. You are always frightened and wondering what is going to happen next. This is what Lizzie’s dad does every day when he comes from work.  The short story Little Lizzie by T.S Arthur fits completely with the comic mode of literature because of the plotline, characteristics, and symbolism.

To begin with, the comic plotline fits perfectly with Little Lizzie. The short story starts out with Lizzie’s family just talking at dinner, which is unusually what they do on a normal day. Then, Lizzie’s dad comes home drunk. That was such a conflict for the family because it affected the whole family, not just him. The conflict was then realized that the family needs to do something. Lizzie overheard her mom talking about her dad so she knew she had to do something. She had to stand up to the landlord at the bar and tell him to not sell her dad anymore liquor. So she did, and a resolution was made.  Lizzie’s father quit drinking and they went back to a normal everyday life.

Although the plotline is important, the symbolism and characteristics are significant too. First of all, Little Lizzie was very realistic.  Tons of families around the world have dads who come home drunk everyday from work or wherever else. That then, causes a major conflict for lots of families around the world. Second, the symbolism also fits very well.  One symbol was the kitchen. Throughout this whole story Lizzie’s family would always be in the kitchen. They would talk there, eat there, and everything else! Also, another symbolism is when Lizzie went to talk to the landlord about her father’s drinking problem. When she walked outside to go the bar, it was a sun filled sky.  The sun would be a symbol that represents the comic mode of literature.

As you can see, this short story fits right in with the plotline, characteristics, and the symbolism of the comic mode of literature. Lizzie concurred her fear and stood up to the landlord of the bar. There was a moral lesson to learn from the story also. The lesson was to stand up for what you believe. Overall, Little Lizzie turned out to be an excellent short story to read. I enjoyed reading about this family and how they resolved their conflict.