"Saturday Climbing" by W.D. Valgardson

"Saturday Climbing" by W.D. Valgardson

"Saturday Climbing" - The Controlling Image

The story starts off with Barry 60 feet up the cliff, while Moira is safely
put on the ground below.   Moira is belaying her father.

Barry is scared and finds himself about to fall off the edge.   Moira in the
meantime, is safe and secure.   Barry is protecting Moira from any dangers
she may encounter in the world.   Barry is wary of drugs and parties , but
most of all the boys Moira dates.

"The cliff had proven to be deceptive."

Raising a child is harder than it looks.   Things are not always as they appear.
Barry never could have imagined how much work it is to raise Moira.   He has
had to seek advice from a number of people at the university.   Barry has
tried to do numerous of activities with Moira in order to spend time with
her.   It has been difficult and trying, as is the climb.

"The conglomerate, with its rough, gravel-like surface, had looked easy."

This describes the rocky relationship between Barry and his daughter.
Their constant arguing and lack of communication makes the relationship
unstable - just as gravel covered slopes are.

"Close to the base, there were large handholds, so that at first the climbing
was little more difficult than walking up stairs."

Adolescents and children seem easy to handle when compared to teenagers.
Barry found that Moira was no problem when she was young, and seemed like
cake compared to what he must deal with now.     In the story, the initial part
of the climb was simple , just as life used to be for Barry.

"Then, unexpectedly, the surfaces smoothed; the places where he could get
a secure hold were spread farther and farther apart."

This quotation reflects the difficulty Barry encounters in his role as a
working, single-parent of a teenager.     Barry's secure hold on the rocks,
symbolize his monitoring of his daughter.   As Moira becomes more
independent, it is harder and harder for Barry to keep watch over her and
make sure she's...