" Under the Influence"

Sander’s “Under the Influence is a type of social witness essay about his experiences growing up with an alcoholic dad. A social witness essay is an essay that is written about and event that one bear’s witness to and is told in the form of a story. “Under the influence,” describes many obstacles that the author grows through mostly during his childhood, which complies back into his adult life every time he saw his father. For example, Sandler describes times when he would worry about taking care of his dad when he was drunk, keeping an eye on his dad and hoping he would stay away from alcohol, dealing with his dad’s lose of control and anger when his dad was drunk, and the fights his parents would get into as a consequence of his dad’s drinking. The author lived in a time where people were hard Christians and drink wasn’t as easily tolerated, so drinking was looked heavily down upon. The one’s who drank were not normal.

Sander’s obstacle of taking care of his dad when he was drunk was not an easy task. The author uses many strategies to describe what it was like. For example, he talks about his dad’s behavior when he was drunk; “ my father, when drunk, was neither funny nor honest; he was pathetic, frightening, and deceitful” (Sandler, 5). Sander’s use of a metaphor is also apparent in many times in the story. For instance, he speaks of the time his father kissed him; “he smelled the cloying sweetness of Clorets, the mints he chewed to camouflage his dragon’s breath” ( Sander, 6). To describe what his kiss was like the author includes a poem in his essay by Theodore Roethke, entitled my “papa’s waltz.” “ The whiskey on your breath could make a small boy dizzy; but I hung on like death: such waltzing was not easy” Sander, 6). The author’s use of this poem paints a clear picture for the audience. Sandler states, “ such waltzing was terribly hard, for with a boy’s scrawny arms I was trying to hold my tipsy father upright” (Sander 6).

It is easy to conclude that his father wasn’t going to stop drinking on his own, so Sander and his family felt the need to keep their eyes on their father. For example, the more Sander’s father drank the more his “mother become obsessed with stopping him” (Sander 6). Sander’s mother did everything, “she hunted for bottles, counted the cash in his wallet, and sniffed at his breath. Even the kids become worried. Sandler mentions the time when he and his siblings are at a gas station and they know that his dad is going to by beer. They were “ Dutiful and panicky and cried, “ let us go with you,” but his father would roar back, saying, “ don’t budge or I’ll jerk a knot in you’re tails” ( Sander, 7).

The children were helpless when the father was drunk. His anger would take control of him and he would turn into someone he wasn’t. For example, “He became a stranger as fearful to us as any graveyard lunatic, not quite frothing at the mouth, but fierce enough, quick tempered, explosive; or else he grew maudlin and weepy, which frightened us nearly as much” ( Sander, 8). Sander felt that his dad’s behavior was because of Sander’s actions. He says things like if only I’d get good grades, do all my homework, and behave; Sandler feels if he improved on these things his father wouldn’t need beer to alleviate his pain. His father would never beat them, but would only threaten to by pulling out his belt and swear to give them a whipping” ( Sander, 10).

As you could imagine, not just the kids, but the mother would suffer too. She often had marital conflicts and would “ sling her accusations at him, he snarls back, she yells, he growls, their voices clashing” ( Sandler, 3). Sander also mentions the time when he was sleeping at night he would hear his mother “ retreat to her bedroom, sobbing, - not from the blows of fists, for he never strikes her, but from the force of words” ( Sander, 3). Verbal abuse is just as bad as physical abuse because the same outcome results and that is anger, frustration, which ends in tears.

“ Under the Influence,” was very interesting to read. I often feel the same way as Sander does because I always worry about my dad getting cancer from chewing tobacco. I use to be so worried, that I spilled his tobacco, and filled his can up with bird food, or empty half of his tobacco so he would have less of it. No matter what I do, my father won’t stop eating it and I can’t do anything because he will do what he pleases because he is an adult who acts like a kid. He won’t leave anywhere without his stupid tobacco! ;(