The unifying consciousness in the three novellas comprising Sermons and Soda-Water is that of Jim Malloy, who narrates all three in the first person. Malloy is O'Hara's most closely autobiographical character; he first appeared in the title story of O'Hara's first collection of short stories/ The Doctor's Son (1935), as the son of a small-town doctor who, like O'Hara, resists the pressure to follow in his father's professional footsteps and instead becomes a journalist. In Sermons and Soda-Water, Malloy, like O'Hara, is in a reflective mood; each novella is composed of a personal reminiscence in which other characters take center stage for a time, but in which Malloy is a consistent presence.....
This is a free excerpt of 111 words. This section contains 220 words. This
Short Guide contains 1,027 words (approx. 3 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Short Guide with our Sermons and Soda-Water Access Pass.
