Comment on Cycles of Domestic Violence

The glimpses of Waldo's adulthood given later on in the novel indicate that enduring Shenkman's emotional violence as a child had a real, negative impact on him. When perspective shifts briefly to him immediately after his birth, the narration states that he "longs to connect with his children," but "pushes [people] away" even as he tries to get closer (103). This can certainly be attributed at least partially to how Shenkman treats Waldo when he is a child. When Waldo meets Ben outside their house in the early stages of the novel, Waldo laments how "'everybody thinks'" that his interest in astronomy is "'stupid,'" and when Ben presses him on who he means, Waldo responds that he specifically is talking about his father (17).