Southern Upbringing is the story of Charles Bellvie Jr. who grows up on an old southern plantation with his secret homosexual father and his alcoholic mother. Charles lives in a family built on inherited wealth, and that’s apparent in his upbringing. Unfortunately, after Charles leaves home for school, his mother suffers a premature death and he journeys back home for her funeral.
I love the way Charles is described in the first sentence; it really sets the mood for the story, and is further reinforced by the rest of the paragraph. I like the way something so non elegant (dog poop) is made as refined as possible (hound/canine excrement). The scene where Charles’s playing with the toys really helps to nail Charles upbringing, both southern and wealthy.
The scene where Charles’ mother dies, really brings together her character, it brings her into a light other then just a ‘promiscuous alcoholic’ and made me realize that she probably acted that way out of feeling unloved.
The only things I think that really needed to improve was the transition between when we learn about Charles taking up smoking and when he leaves. It seems very abrupt. I also think that since the use of smell was used so much in the story, it could be added in a few more places to tie the whole thing together. For example, in the first paragraph describing the plantation, something using smell, perhaps even tobacco (the sweet smell of tobacco lingering in the warm southern air?) might strengthen the beginning even more.
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