Penny in the Dust

1) The literary term of a flashback is a literary device in which an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronological order of a narrative. A large amount of the story would be considered a flashback besides the first few paragraphs introducing the story and the last few paragraphs concluding the story.

2) The major conflict in this story is between Peter and his father. The father gave Peter a shiny penny and because of their relationship it meant a lot to him. However, when Peter was playing with the penny in the dust and imagining greater things he lost it. The issue was resolved when the truth came out and the father helps him find it.

Questions

1) I think that by Peter saying he struck his father he meant he emotionally struck him and shocked him, maybe even disappointed him by apparently thinking his father would beat him.

2) I think that the father doesn't return the penny to his son for a few reasons. One being, he doesn't want him to lose it again. He wouldn't want him to lose it again because he wouldn't want him to feel as bad as he did when he first lost it. Another reason may be that he wants the cherish the memories he had with his son, obviously that was a big moment in their relationship.

3) The father showed his son love in the following ways:
He gives his son a shiny penny
He frantically looks for his son when he's missing
He helps his son find the penny
He comforts his son and shares a touching moment with him
and last, he doesn't give the penny back

4) Peters world is the childish, imaginative world, whereas the father seems like more of a realist, and creates a more serious world for himself. When the father enters the boys world he feels awkward and conscious of trespass. When the boy sees his father about to enter he senses but doesn't understand the foolish child-like fragility of his world.

5) I think what moved the father so profoundly was how excited the boy seemed when talking about all of the greater things for his father and him. He was so honest and true, and he wanted to spend time with him so badly.... I think that really touched the father because he's probably never spoken about his feelings so openly before.

6) In this story the penny is symbolic. It's a gift from the father which symbolizes that even little worthless seeming things can be worth a lot and bring people together.

7) The father seems guarded, and serious about his work. He seems like he's not the best at communicating or showing his emotions. You can tell that he loves his son and maybe he doesn't want to get his sons hopes up by going along with his creativity – again I think he's a realist. He's probably a nice man once he opens up.