Father after the expedition
After Father returns to New Rochelle from the trip to the Arctic, he comes home to some quite drastic changes. Not only does he notice changes in the other family members (most notably the little boy), he notices changes in the business, himself, and the dynamic between him and the rest of the family. He feels alone and disconnected, and it also seems like he’s disappointed that everything seems to be doing better than ever without him. The first thing that father notices when he arrives home is his wife with a new baby and a new guest in the house. From this detail alone, we can tell that it’s evident that he’s been gone for a long time, as there have been new additions to the household that he was unaware of. Not only is he unfamiliar to the new additions, but the family and the house as well. One thing that he specifically points out is his son’s new desk, which was “befitted [to] all young students” (Doctorow). He goes on to say that the boy seems taller and smarter and has o...