Welding with Children

The story alludes to the Bible to invoke the concept of values and morality against the influence of society and pop culture. Specifically, the story references biblical stories like that of Abraham and Isaac and Noah’s ark to emphasize the power of sins and punishment. While Bruton tries to teach his grandchildren about obedience and sin in the Bible, the grandchildren have trouble distinguishing these Biblical stories from the movies they watch. The children’s references to movies such as Conan the Barbarian as well as to figures such as Elvis Presley and O. J. Simpson show the extent to which they have soaked up the pop culture surrounding them. Their knowledge, however, comes at the expense of the morals and values Bruton wishes to impart on them. The children have little conception of consequences and punishment. As Bruton notes, the children watch rental movies where “people kill each other with no more thought than it would take to swat a fly” (13).

Often Bruton uses similes to provide whimsical descriptions of the people around him. He compares Mr. Fordlyson to “chicken” and Nu-Nu to a “melon” and a “loaf of bread.