Ice Break Analysis

Ice break

Enjoying life while it lasts is for many people an unnoticed motto. Many people simply forget to appreciate their loved ones, and let their everyday life overshadow the most important relationships in life. This is seen often within families where family difficulties are created. This can even lead to parents forgetting their love and forgetting to spend time with their children. These important values are often recollected when it is too late. Family difficulties, sorrow and guilt are 3 main themes the short story “Ice break”, by Astrid Blodgett, deals with.

In the short story “Ice Break” we are introduced to Dawn and her family. We learn about their family issues and about how the family shares an odd relationship. The family is always trying to make plans; however, they never carry them through. The family attempts at sticking together and even try fixing their relationship by having family meetings, but they never seem to figure it out. We already sense the tense relationship between Dawn and her family early on: “Earlier, Dad had asked Mom to come. Mom said no. She always said no. She was doing some work, some financial stuff she needed to catch up on” (p. 1, l.11-13). The mother clearly prioritizes work rather than her family, and always seem to come up with excuses when the father suggests going out. We also sense a tense relationship between Dawn and her father: “I didn’t want to be alone with Dad. He was always grouchier when it was just him and me. He was scary when he got mad.” (p.3, l. 90-91). Dawn feels uncomfortable being alone with her father, and sees him as a careless man. However, her view of her father changes during the trip. The father puts his own life in danger to save his daughters: “He’s forcing me out of the truck, but I grab him, first his head, then his shoulders and hold on as hard as I can. I don’t want to go without him.” (p. 4, l. 130-132). She goes from not wanting to go with him to not wanting to without him. She grows the feeling of respect for her father, and forgets all the issues and tension between them. Furthermore, the parents seem to share a tense relationship. Dawn suggests Janie to come along in fear of their parents’ marriage: “Mr. and Mrs. Pichowsky got a divorce last year and moved. […] Marla must mean that Mom and Dad were going to be like Mr. and Mrs. Pichowsky.” (p. 3, l.69-72). The two sisters are very aware of the situation between their parents, which increases the tension between the parents and their children. When fearing the fact that the father will leave the family, they want to have their last visit with their father. What the sisters did not know, was that this was going to be their last visit with their father - Dawn’s sister Janie and their father end up losing their lives during this family trip.

Throughout the short story we move back and forth in time. The narrator of the short story is Dawn, who is also the first-person narrator of the story. This means that we learn things from her perspective. Because of the shifting point of views, we follow two different story lines. We follow the family at home before the accident, we follow the family during the trip, when the accident happens, and after the accident happened. The story starts in medias res, which means we are thrown right into the story. Here, suspense is created, and the author makes sure to capture the reader’s interest during the very first paragraph. This composition denies the reader immediate access to the essential information of the short story. This creates suspense, which is already created in the first paragraph where the plot begins. This composition also brings the reader closer to the narrator of the short story - Dawn. The ongoing flashbacks creates a sense of Dawn looking back at what happened when her sister and father died. This also shows us how Dawn feels guilty about her little sister’s death, and how she wishes they would wake up again: “I kept waiting for her to say something, to a reporter or me or Marla, anyone, about getting Janie’s clothes back and finding the five-dollar bill in her jeans pocket, soaking wet. But she never did.” (p. 5, l.177-180). Dawn feels guilty since she practically attempted to bribe her sister to go with the five-dollar bill. She keeps thinking back at what happened during the accident. She nearly feels as if it is her responsibility and her fault, and wishes she could amend her acts.