Diverging Paths And All That By Maryanne O Hara Analysis

One would expect the President of the United States to be a model citizen and hold himself to high standards, but in the short story “Diverging Paths and All That” by Maryanne O’Hara, President Nixon does not exhibit these traits. The author uses foils to help impress central idea that the narrator is heading in the right direction in life and Billy is not on the reader. The author does this by contrasting Billy’s readiness and lack of remorse with the authors hesitation, feelings of sickness, remorse, and eventual bailing out, when stealing. There are many examples of foils being used to impress the central idea that the narrator is heading in the right direction in life and Billy is not on the reader. One example of foils being used is when Billy nonchalantly steals with ease, while the narrator is

“While Nixon keeps the manager occupied, Billy demonstrates the “heads-up technique,” the nonchalant gaze, his left hand filching Hershey bars and Bic pens while his right hand jingles pocket change. Billy grins, “I really save my dollars here.” Solo time. I head for Cosmetics, the wall of Peeper Sticks-blue and green and lavender eye crayons that’ve always cost dollars I don’t have. My hand closes around Seafoam Green, hesitates, but what the hell, even the President’s a crook, so I slip it up my sleeve. I try to sneak away natural as Billy, but my legs move too quick and stiff.” (Paragraph 2 and 3). Billy is able to use a stealing technique successfully because remorse and hesitation don’t hold him back, while remorse and uneasiness cause the narrator to be unnatural while attempting the stealing technique. Billy doesn’t think twice and is at ease when stealing which shows that he is heading in the wrong direction in life, while the author is much more hesitant and uneasy with stealing because she feels immoral showing that she is heading more in the right direction in life. Another example of foils being used is when Billy is