Personal Accountability versus The Dysfunctional Family Era

Toward the end of the novel, Ray says that having come from "America's Dysfunctional Family Era", he was required to blame his father for all of his shortcomings, which is something Ray has done with passion. Every shortcoming in Ray's life, in his mind, can in one way or another be traced back to his father and the emotionally brutal way Ray was constantly criticized for not having enough "want to."

Near the end of the golf match, Ray looks at his father. He does not see a giant ogre. He sees an ordinary man. Indeed, Ray sees a man a couple of inches shorter than himself. All his life Ray has built up his father as the arch villain. Now he sees a mortal and wonders if his father can truly be responsible for all Ray's own shortcomings. Ray wonders at...