Welding with Children

The “bastardmobile” motif reveals Bruton’s reputation and the position of his family in the town. Although the term “bastard” is wielded as an insult against Bruton’s grandchildren, he sees the term as a reflection of his failed role as a father. The word forces Bruton to reconcile with the town’s perception of him and his family. While Bruton tries to escape from his reputation, he finds he is unable to elude the word “bastardmobile” that follows him throughout the story. He sees it “spelled out in chrome script on [his] fenders (6) and in his thoughts. When Bruton later wonders why no one in his family ever left Gumwood, he realizes “[w]e couldn’t escape in the bastardmobile” (12). The fact that the word is used to refer to Bruton’s car reinforces its power, as Bruton’s status in town has become written into the very vehicle he uses to move.

Generally, beds symbolize home, security, and comfort because of their role as a place of rest. Bruton’s daughter’s broken bed frame, however, does much the opposite when representing insecurity and the precariousness of Nu-Nu’s home life. Indeed, at the beginning of the story Bruton ridicules his daughter with the remark: “[W]hat the hell you can do in a bed that’ll cause the end of an iron rail to break off is beyond me” (1).