Delicate Relationships & Troubling Situations in Life

Hall of Small Mammals is included in the short story collection of the same name by Thomas Pierce， a popular American writer born in 1982. This essay is intended to focus on the content of the story， the relationship between its main characters and its themes.

Introduction to the Story

The story can be divided into three parts. In the first part， the man and his girlfriend’s son， Val， went to the zoo to see the baby Pippin Monkeys. The twelve-year-old boy was totally obsessed in Pippins and studied everything about them while the man was not in the least interested. They queued for almost an hour in the cloudless afternoon heat but there was still a long way to go. Exhausted， the man asked the boy about his novel in progress so as to lighten the situation. However， the boy snapped at him that it was a screenplay and claimed he would not understand it. Then he went away to give himself an insulin injection， leaving the man alone in the line.

The second part of the story happened during the boy's absence. The man searched the boy's bag for something to eat and got a peek at the unfinished screenplay. It was not difficult for him to find out that the original version of the villain in the play who kept the mother captive was him. Soon the line moved faster and the entrance of the hall was already in sight， but Val had not come back. Concerned about his safety， the man requested the couple behind him to hold his place and went to look for Val. He went to the Hall of Great Apes in case the boy might have gotten distracted， but he was not there. Just as the man began to panic， Val ran up behind， angry with him for losing their place in line.

In the third part of the story， the man suggested that they got back in line in case the zoo would open late to accommodate all the visitors. At that time， however， a zoo official came out， counted off twenty people and announced that all the rest were out of luck. Val refused to go and stuck in line behind the twentieth person. The man decided to help and pleaded with the official to let the boy in， which was finally approved. Val got what he wanted but showed no trace of appreciation. In the end， the boy entered the hall alone， completely ignoring the man behind him.

Relationship between Val and the man

Dating with Val's mother， the man wanted the boy to like him. With no interest in the baby Pippins， he waited in the line for hours just to accompany the boy. Although he never condoned rule-breaking of any kind， he let Val take pictures in the Hall of Small Mammals as he desired. When discovering that the villain in the screenplay was him， he should have hated the script yet he was partly honored to be included. When Val had been gone for more than twenty minutes， he was so anxious that he dropped the queue to look for him. At the end of the story when Val was kept from visiting the Hall， the man reasoned with the zoo official for his admission in order to win the boy's appreciation.

However， the boy did not seem to accept the man's good will. In Val's screenplay， the mother was set a famous scientist， which showed his adoration and admiration for his mother in real life. The hero of the play travelled to the Bronze Age to find his mother held captive by a villain， whose original version proved to be the mother's present boyfriend. The boy regarded the man a dangerous enemy because he intruded into the happy life of him and his mother.

The Theme of the Story

Firstly， the story reveals the problem of education in single-parent families. At the end of the story， the man was glared off by the zoo official at the gate and was prevented from going ahead by Val， who entered the hall alone， without leaving a pleasant word. It was cruel because the man's kindness and endurance had no reward at all.

I think the mother should bemost responsible for Val's rudeness. From the man's description， we can see the mother was a bit uptight and officious. One night she insisted on super gluing back the broken bedside lamp when she was with the man， which took hours of hard work. She refused to talk about her job because it was not who she was. The mother had a strong personality. Her family education on Val must have a strong impact on the boy's character. Moreover， I think the mother did not care enough about Val's mental health. When she began to date with the man， Val was hostile to him and wrote a screenplay to express his feelings. But the mother did not notice the hurt she was bringing to his son or communicate with him about how to get along with this man. So the boy had to turn to the paper and pen as an outlet for his depression. The story also shows the estrangement between people. Everyone was desperate to see the endangered baby Pippins， but they seemed to lackdue friendliness， consideration and understanding for their fellow human beings. For instance， the man behind them in line was reluctant to hold their place.Val shouted rude remarks at the zoo official， and was unthankfulfor the man who had helped him.

To sum up， Hall of Small Mammals is a story which depicts one of the common experiences in our lives. It is simple and easy to understand， yet the theme the author conveys to us is profound. Through detailed narration of a visit at the zoo and vivid description of the narrator’s inner thoughts， the author shows us the selfishness of human character， the loneliness of every individual in delicate interpersonal relationships， and the troubling situation in our daily lives， which are upsetting but real， and which strike a responsive chord in the hearts of its readers.