In the two readings "Faith" by Tim O'Brien and "The Company Man" by Ellen Goodman, both writers use memory and language to depict issues of loss and betrayal. In Tim O'Brien's short story both betrayal and loss are evident themes throughout the story. The father and the wife both betray the protagonist. When he was a young boy his he asked his father for an airplane engine. He and his friend Herbie had built an airplane and planned on flying it but needed an engine. His father with no hesitation exclaimed "one airplane engine coming right up." . Tommy would lie in bed and repeat the word engine to himself. He was very fond of that word he even said he likes the way it sounded. As the summer wound down to an end the father on day brought home a turtle. Tommy felt betrayed by his father because the whole summer was spent looking forward to the engine. Having your emotions build up over a period of time and the being let down like that would leave anyone feeling upset. Later on it the story Tommy deals with both the loss and betrayal of his wife Mary Jean. Mary Jean was depicted in the story as Tommy's long time sweetheart. Towards the end of the story she leaves Tommy for another man and goes down to Tampa. Tommy's life has been overflowing with betrayal and loss.
             Betrayal and loss are two factors that are also very evident in Ellen Goodman's "The Company Man". The immediate thing you notice in this story is loss. Phil the main character dies from an unfortunate heart condition at a fairly early age. The loss of him affects all aspects of life around him. Family and friends miss Phil. His employer misses him because of all the hard work and overtime that Phil had put in over the years. The betrayal in this story comes in a different form than usual. First of all Phil's employer covertly tried to find an immediate replacement for Phil right after his death. For ...