I chose to draw a general scene of the dinner party combining important aspects and events in the background. I put Joey, the peacock, in the background to show how it was a distracter in the night, and I included their baby Harold, to show how ugly it was and to show Fran and Jack's reaction to their baby. I also included the television showing a car race, which they watched briefly at the beginning of the night and next to the television I put a photograph of Olla's teeth. I also included the loaf of bread, on the dinner table, that Fran baked for the party.

Bicycles, Muscles, Cigarettes 10 Interpretive Questions

1. What is the significance of cigarettes throughout the story? What is their symbolism in terms of the different characters in the story?
2. Why do the parents blow the bicycle incident out of proportion? Does this reveal the type of parents they are?
3. What do the comments "I'd rather you went, but I'll go," and "[he] was struck by the range of his son's personal life," reveal about Hamilton as a father? Is he proud of this? What evidence can you find in the story about his feelings on his parentin?
4. What's the purpose of the teenagers in the story? Do they help carry the story along or are they simply side characters? Explain your opinion.
5. "He had the feeling he should stop them, this secrecy." Why did Hamilton want to break up the Bermans? Jealousy, anger, nervousnes, frustration?
6. "Let me feel your muscle." Does Roger simply want to feel his father's muscle, or is he looking for something else? How does he view his father? Explain.
7. "But now he recalled his father's one fistfight as if it were all there was to the man." Does this now apply to Hamilton? How does Hamilton feel about this? Does he want to do anything to change this?
8. "When you were young, was it like it is with you and me? Did you love him more than me? Or just the same?" Why does Roger ask these questions and what are their significance?"
9. "Maybe it was scared out of me." What does Hamilton mean by this? Why is the smell so important?
10. "Hamilton left the door open, and then he thought better of it and closed it halfway." Why does Hamilton do this? Does this mark a point when Hamilton will change his ways? Can we infer anything past the story's end?