The plot of the story revolves around the family of Schrader who were living in Manhattan. They were immigrants who came to New York and had invested in dress manufacturing. Many immigrants at that time invested a lot of money in their children’s education and even succeeded in taking their sons to collage. The children did not take their academics seriously and eventually ended up being employed as junior copywriters (Steven 15). However, Schrader’s father allowed him to work partially on the family business before making his literary debut. The story is a double narrative where the author employs stories that alternate to describe his past and present life with the people who played an important part in shaping it, using different stylistic devices.
Schrader tries to alternate between two narratives that elaborate on his boyhood and later on touching on his adult life. The reader gets to understand from the author’s recollection about his teenage years, boyhood, and as a young adult. He also acknowledges and appreciate the people who played an important part in his life. However, the author does this less often and as he ages, the praises diminishes.
The author links the two narratives using metaphors and similes as stylistic devices. He uses metaphor when he narrates on how his childhood was all about. The term “thread” as used by the author as the title of the story is a metaphor. A thread is normally used to link or join two pieces of clothes together. The reader gets an urgent concern on how Schrader’s life eventually turned out. The author’s back and forth way of narration confuses the reader a lot, which makes the story interesting a lovely just like threads in a well sewed garment.
He uses simile when he relates his boyhood to him being a teenager, and his adulthood to his youthful age. The narrator continues to tell the reader about his sick mother, who had several suicidal attempts. His father spends a good amount of money for Jewish charities, and hospitals. His father also does his best to support the society as he came from a poor background before coming to New York. He gives back to the society for all that he got through the dressmaking and manufacturing factory. However, he at times sees his son as a disappointment as he believes that he was educated so that he can work in a better or prestigious institution and not in his clothing company (Steven 7).
The author makes the third part of the story more interesting since he relates the past to the present in an epic manner. The author narrates that modernity is affecting the kind of life he lived. His mother sank into depression while his father was too busy working in the factories to hide how he really felt about his son. It seemed difficult to raise children in the right ways during that era. Although Schrader regrets the mistakes he did in his young adulthood, he still relishes and yearns for his boyhood. The author states that he had a full-circled life, which any kid would have wished for. This is because he of the fun and happiness he had. However, he also loses some important people in life through the mistakes he made.
- Steven, S. Threads: More stories from a New York life. New York: Cengage. 2012. Print.
