An Analysis Of Should Wizard Hit Mommy

The (un)apparent errant of a good parent John Hoyer Updike was an American novelist, poet and short story writer from Pennsylvania. He is well known for his depictions of the average small town American middle-class life. He was awarded 2 Pulitzer prizes for his novels “Rabbit is rich” and “Rabbit at rest”. In this story, “Should Wizard Hit Mommy?”, Updike addresses the moral issues one discovers between a parent and their child. Should a parent always decide what the child should do or should the child be able to act by itself? In this analysis I will argue how parents’ search for authority can hinder them from noticing other valuable aspects of parenthood.

The short story is about a 4-year-old girl named Jo and her father Jack. Since Jo was 3 years old they have followed a custom of telling stories every evening and for Saturday naps. The stories are always variations of the same basic tale where a small creature named Roger has a problem which can only be solved with the help of a wizard and his magical powers.

However, the Saturday storytelling has come to prove very ineffective as Jo no longer falls asleep. Consequently, this contributes to her father finding the routine extremely tiring. On top of that, Jo has recently started questioning everything she hears. An example of this is when she during the story of Roger Skunk asks her

This is unmistakably seen on page 11 by the fact that the story of Roger Skunk is loosely based on Jack’s own experiences as a child. The mother of Roger is therefore also a metaphor for his own mother. When Jo clearly states her disapproval of the mother’s actions, Jack takes this very personally. This is shown on page 15 where he, in an attempt to establish his power, threatens Jo with an ultimatum; either she lets him have his way or she will not hear any more