laken

In the story “separate Kingdoms” by Valerie Laken, a family struggles to understand each other after, Colt, the father loses his thumbs to a machine. Laken uses a writing strategy of a two column format to represent different viewpoints of father and son as the family tries to reconnect. Column bridging between the two stories connects both the father’s and the son’s points of view of life after the accident, and demonstrates their difficultly with communication. This disconnection can cause either father or son to suffer through a lack of human connection. Ultimately the lack of human connection itself communicates the need to make sacrifices to maintain the connection between the two kingdoms of father and son.
Column bridging brings the two different viewpoints together, Laken uses the same lines in both viewpoints, to connect the two kingdoms of father and son. Laken reads in both columns “Dad?” “Mom says I’m supposed to come and sit with you” (laken 2) jack, colt’s son, is making the attempt to regain his lost connection with his father. After losing his thumbs, Colt lost his connection to his son, and humanity, he feels like a fish out of water. Laken tells us in Colts perspective “ Jack is a boy with imagination but he doesn’t understand about the animals, those bumbling, lost-in-the suburbs moose, or the baby tiger sharks using their fins to walk across the sand.” ( Laken 2) Jack sees this in his father too, Laken reads in Jacks perspective “ I swear he’d like to stick his hand through the screen, grab one of those exotic trees, and pull himself right to the jungle, the river, the ocean. Leave me and mom behind to fend for ourselves.”(Laken 2-3) Both father and son know that Colt has lost his connection to humanity, that he, Colt, has more in common with the baby tiger shark walking across the sand. Laken continues in both perspectives “ do I have to?” (Laken 3) Jack realizes his dad doesn’t want him there because Colt doesn’t feel as human as Jack. In colts perspective “Colt shakes his head no.” This hurts Jack because he wants a connection with his father, he wants to spend time with Colt. Colt being lost in his fish out of water mindset, doesn’t see or care that Jack made the sacrifice of putting down the Xbox to spend time with his dad. Laken hints at this in Jack’s perspective “ I mean, Jason Beasley’s dad plays house of the dead with him. When you go over to Jason’s house, its like Mr. Beasley knows your name and your high scores and everything.” (Laken 3) Jack wants a connection with his dad, he makes the sacrifice to get to know his father again.
Simultaneous events in the household are brought together with column bridging and repetition of words to fill space to show sound. When Colt’s boss, Harris comes over to discuss Colt’s compensation, Jack is sent to practice his drums in the basement, Laken tells us in jacks perspective “I’ll handle it, Jack. Why don’t you go downstairs and practice.” (Laken 3-4) Jack being sent to practice his drums was his moms, Cheri, way of protecting him from the pain and suffering of colts anger. As soon as Harris begins to converse with Colt, Laken uses repeating words starting in Jack’s perspective continuing through Colt’s perspective. This repetition Laken uses “ guh duh guh duh” (Laken 6) and it continues throughout the conversation between Colt and Harris. This distracts Jack from Colt’s arguing. Later on in the story when Jack is finished practicing he heads up to bed. He hears his parents arguing about how much money they can get. Laken uses a another repetition as Jack waits out the argument. Laken reads “ take my drum sticks and go sit at the top of the stairs, with my ear to the door. There’s voices in their, which these days is not a good sign.” ( Laken 14) Jack sits there drumming using a second repetition to feel space with sound. “pater pater pater pat” (Laken 14) to avoid the commotion between his parents. Laken tell us “I’d like to just go to bed now, but it’s risky walking through there when they’re going at it. You can get tangled up in it, hear things you probably shouldn’t. ( Laken 14) jack sacrifices again what he wants but this time to avoid suffering.
Father and son cross paths again when Jack tries to reach out to his father. Jack notices his mom holding Colt tight, thinking his mom got through to him he calls out “ Dad?” (Laken 16) From Jack’s perspective “ he shocks up like I just tazed him and I screw it all up again” ( Laken 16) Colt goes back to old ways of anger and self pity. “ Jack goddamnit” “would you quit sneaking around this house” (Laken 16) Jack replies “I live hear”(Laken 16) Jack is scared by Colt, suffering from his anger . Laken tells us in both perspectives “ I know way you did it. I think I understand.” ( Laken 17) jack reaches out to understand his father’s pain, his suffering. Jack fully understands when him and his mother tape up their thumbs to reach into Colt’s world, to fully understand the sacrifice he made by losing his thumbs.