"The Drunkard": Usage of Humor

       Upon finishing The Drunkard by Frank O'Connor, I sense the clever usage of humor.  In the beginning, Father wishes to go to the pub after the funeral of his close friend.  But, mother forces Father to bring their small son, Larry, along with him.  Right off the bat, there is humor to be found in the fact that children are usually neither wanted nor allowed into bars.  Then, to add to the humorous event, Larry consumes enough alcohol to make him extremely drunk.  I believe that these laughable occurrences aid mother in getting a point across.  Mother seems to be completely lived upon seeing her intoxicated child, but then calls her son her "brave little man" and says that he is his father's "guardian angel" (O'Connor, 351).  In greater depth, Mother scolds Father for their sons becoming drunk, hoping to embarrass him enough to stop drinking.  I predict that the overall message of the short story is to express the importance of being a responsible adult.  by adding humor to this work, the reader can easily identify the theme of responsibility.