The One-In-A-Million Boy

Throughout the novel, music acts as a motif in support of The Lasting Influence of Grief. Serving as Quinn’s passion and his burden, music plays a complex role in Quinn’s relationship with his son. In a key flashback, Quinn recalls playing guitar for his infant son and feeling as if he had been “touched by birds as the baby fell finally asleep” (104). However, his son never again responded so positively to his music, and the boy’s failure to appreciate the medium that consumes Quinn’s world became a source of unspoken distance between them as the years went by. Fortunately, Quinn does eventually come to a more nuanced understanding of his son’s perspective, as the boy still affirmed Quinn’s talent by telling him that he played better than the greats. Although Quinn did not immediately appreciate this brief moment of grace and unacknowledged affection, he later realizes that his son was always one of his biggest supporters.

On a more personal level, Quinn plays his guitar, which he acquired in childhood, as a personal form of prayer and a way to process emotions that he otherwise represses. The motif of music extends to Ona’s past as well, given that her husband, Howard, worked in a music store.