In class we talked about the performative nature of the men inside the house welcoming the adolescent into the adult and masculine process of grieving, signaled by shaking his hand and saying that they were “sorry for my trouble.” While this in and of itself is a pivotal moment in the youth’s life, as he is accepted into the performative ritual o being a man. It would seem that he has no choice in this matter, as we all inevitably grow old and must come to accept it. We didn’t focus on the speaker’s father in class and I think that he adds a really important dimension to the speakers concept of masculinity in the poem. When the adolescent arrives home for the funeral, “In the porch I met my father crying.” I think this is important because as an adolescent the speaker is still trying to figure out what is is to be a man, and his father is giving him an alternative option to the performative alternative going on inside the house. It is also important that his father is essentially on the outside as he is displaying his emotions and breaking the ‘code’ of masculinity, therefore he is not a part of the inclusive masculine community on the inside of the house. This scenario creates a disconnect with the speaker’s father that has been seen previously in other poems. Perhaps this lack of leadership on how to react in a time of tragedy in a masculine fashion and leaving the adolescent boy to learn from other men how to perform is a reason for this apparent disconnect between the speaker and his father.
Therese, I agree with your interpretation of “Mid-Term Break” as addressing the way in which young men are taught to perform masculinity from the older men in their lives. However I do not think that the father’s break from the “code of masculinity” creates a disconnect between him and his son. I believe that the speaker is actually more understanding of his fathers pure emotional reaction than the formality of the older men. Upon seeing his fathers distress the speaker states, “He has always taken funerals in his stride-“. The use of a dash at the end of the line creates a physical space that might suggests the alienation the speaker feels from his father but I believe that the tender, understanding tone expressed in the line makes the dash a measure of contemplation that reflects the speakers ability to try and grasp the emotional depth of the situation. Through the speaker puts on a brave face for the older men, he admits “I was embarrassed by old men standing up to shake my hand”. Ultimately I believe the speaker comes to the realization that when faced with great tragedy, it is not the formal rituals that help one grieve and move on but instead personal contemplation and acceptance of one’s emotions as modeled by his father, such as at the end of the poem when he is alone with his brother’s body.