The Affects Of Childhood Abuse On Old Ben's Parenting Skills In Peter Taylor's "Porte Cochere"
             In Peter Taylor's story "Porte Cochere", Old Ben is the father of five children. He is struggling to make a connection with his kids, yet he is unable to do so. Old Ben is the product of an abusive family, and, therefore, he does not have a good role model from whom to learn parenting skills. He was beaten so many times as a child that he swore he would never be like his father. In fact, Old Ben said, "when he got to be a grown man, he would go away to another country...where there would be no houses that resembled [his father's]; and, most of all there would be no children and no fathers" (264). The thought of living in a place with no children and no fathers shows Old Ben's inherent fear of becoming a parent. His father caused this fear because it stems from the many beatings Old Ben had received as a child. Although seemingly cool and emotionless on the outside, deep down Old Ben yearns for attention, love, and respect from all of his children. He thinks he has raised his children well by not physically abusing them and, therefore, believes he is a good parent. Yet, the longing to be different from his father only manifests more problems. As a result of his abusive upbringing, Old Ben is unable to effectively communicate with his children. Therefore, Old Ben is not a part of his children's lives and he, like his father, is not a good parent.
             Old Ben's inability to communicate with his grown children becomes very evident when Clifford, Ben Jr., and the rest of his children come to visit him for his seventy-sixth birthday. Cliff arrives and starts to walk up the stairs. Old Ben's lower lip started to tremble. "Wasn't there some business matter he could take up with Cliff? ...Or some personal matter?" (257). The apparent desire to make con...