Leadership is a quality that is not learnt, but rather is accomplished from individual power and having the quality and determination toward oneself to make decisions for your group and having the capacity to live with those choices. Leadership comprises of numerous viewpoints including imagining, innovating, thinking, and the capacity to lead in a war-time environment and potentially having some religious impact. In the short story He Becomes Deeply and Famously Drunk”, by Brady Udall, the author seeks to show how a ‘small’ Spanish man can have various leadership qualities, and eventually become a very crucial influencer on Archie the main character.
Archie is depicted as a seventeen-year-old cowhand, with a face brimming with spots and attractive. He stands six foot four inches tall, an adolescent delinquent and was once known as hard knock (Udall 537). In spite of the fact that is a city kid with no farm history, his mom sent him to work and live on a farm with an old companion of his dad named Ted. Because of his troubled past, it was only Ted that allowed Archer to work for him. This was planned by Archer’s mum so that his father’s old friends could watch over the troubled boy.
At the youthful age of four Archie’s dad passed away due to a hit to the head after a bar brawl with Calfred Pulsipher. Archie rebuked Calfred Pulsipher for each of his troubles in life because he had to live through most of his life without his father. Archie’s mother could no longer put up with his troublesome behavior. Archie states that while living in Oklahoma:
I spent my energy talking too much, getting into fights, drinking booze, smashing mailboxes, pretty much being obnoxious however and whenever I could. I have something wrong with me, something bad inside that builds up until I have to let it out by talking, shouting, raging, letting it all loose, even if there is no one there to listen. (Udall 528)
Archie goes ahead to further say, “I feel empty and clean, I hurt some people and wrecked a lot of perfectly innocent cars, dishware, phone booths, electronic goods, and what have you. I have seen therapists, psychiatrists, clergymen, even hypnotist” (Udall 537). All of Archie’s issues and outrage fortifies from the demise of his dad, and the indignation and urge to revenge his father’s death.
When Archie moved to the farm he became close to a Mexican by the name of Jesus. Jesus was the only one to take time to show Archie how to make a living form the farm. In spite of the fact that Jesus was Mexican he viewed himself as a full blooded Yaqui Indian. Archie described him as a tiny laborer who was less than five feet, even with boots on. His English was poor and he had teeth that were star- quality. Jesus wore his hair coifed and oiled with one twist hanging down on his brow like old artists. Jesus worked for Mr. Platt to set aside enough cash so that he can send some for his family in Mexico. Since Jesus was the only one to assist Archie on the farm, Archie returned the favor by picking up Jesus’ family from the border (James and Merickel 190).
The writer indicates how even a tiny Spanish man can have awesome leadership qualities. Evidently the various farm hands don’t educate the storyteller a lot about being a farmer. Rather, Jesus, who is low maintenance laborer on the farm, really educates the storyteller about the ins and outs of farming. Brady tells this by saying:
He’s worked for Mr. Platt off and on for a good many years and while the others here resented me, pissed on me for being young and ignorant, enjoyed watching me make a fool of myself, Jesus helped me out from the start, taking time to show how to dally a rope, say, or throw calf for branding (Udall 535-536).
This announcement all by itself demonstrates Jesus’ leadership prowess, in light of the fact that when the other farm hands avoided him for being youthful and unpracticed, Jesus was there to back him up and be a companion and turn him into an extraordinary farmer (Savage 88).
Jesus shows leadership qualities too when he and Archie are set for fix the windmill. While heading to the windmill Jesus recognizes a calf with pink-eye and without a second thought hops out of the truck with the medicinal pack and wrestles the calf down to cure it. Remember that the calf was not part of the job to alter the windmill but since Jesus knows how to be a pioneer, and still does it (Udall 538). Throughout the story Jesus shows exceptional leadership qualities by going well beyond what he is called to do. All this is in spite of being a “little wetback” as the creator puts it, he figures out how to show exceptional great leadership (Savage 88).
Suffice it to say that Jesus was the most influential person for Archie during his time at the farm. Jesus’ superior leadership qualities make drive him to help a troubled Archie to exorcise his demons. His height, poor command of English, and general appearance did not Jesus from showing Archie the right path to follow. Archie was a very troubled teen, who was even too much for his mother. She sends him to a farm, to be taught by some friends of his father. Archie seeks to revenge the death of his farther, but ultimately reconciles with his father’s killer under the guidance of Jesus.
Works Cited
James, Missy, and Alan Merickel. Reading Literature And Writing Argument. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008. Print.
Savage, William W. Cowboy Life: Reconstructing An American Myth. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1997. Print.
Udall, Brady. Letting Loose The Hounds. New York: W.W. Norton, 1997. Print.
