Victor

Victor is the narrator, who talks about the events that lead to his father leaving him and his mother. Victor has grown up in a household defined by sex and violence. When he was young, his father went to prison for two years for beating up a National Guard private at a peace demonstration. When his father returns, Victor watches his parents fight constantly, which is a negative experience, although it is canceled out in his mind by the positive experience of listening to his parents make love. Victor has difficulty communicating with his father, who has a hard time opening up. However, Jimi Hendrix's version of "The Star-Spangled Banner," as well as other music, becomes a medium through which Victor is able to talk to his father. In one conversation with his father, Victor says that he wishes that his generation had a war to fight. His...