Lally: Cowardly Manipulator of Words

to keep from being exposed.

Vernon is stabbed in the back by Lally, who "tweaks his balls and keeps right on grinning." Doris fails to notice Lally's manipulative behavior, which is reminiscent of a child's tendency to take advantage of others behind their backs. Lally has Doris under his control and even convinces her to fund his reports on her own son. Doris is easily swayed by Lally's deceptive ways, as shown by her willingness to take out another loan. Lally spends the money on materialistic things like new timberlands, showing his disregard for Vernon's feelings. Lally and Doris's relationship is founded on the benefits Lally can obtain from her son, a convicted murderer, leaving Vernon pushed aside.

As Vernon questions how sudden their relationship is, he wonders, ‘nobody will ask why Lally’s suddenly dicken my ma’. This makes us as readers wonder what is racing through Vernon’s mind as well. The seriousness of their relationship in such a small amount of time is exemplified further with ‘Lally strides into the kitchen like he owns the place’, which shows how Lally thinks he is the new man of the house and pushing Vernon out of the picture. Despite presenting himself as a reasonable man who cares for Doris with ‘Babe, after they screwed you around for so long’, we discover that Lally cancels the delivery of Doris’s long-awaited fridge, suggesting that he is trying to make something go wrong so that he can step in and be the hero, and just to stir up some trouble. Furthermore, Lally desperately tries to convince Doris that Vernon is a liar and that something is wrong with him.

The

statement "The boy needs urgent help" implies that Lally is attempting to turn Doris against her own son, as he knows she has a fondness for him. Additionally, "It's time to turn this boy over to someone who can help" indicates that Lally is attempting to undermine Vernon, but in a covert manner, feigning concern for his well-being while actually trying to take a swipe at him. As a reader, one is left wondering how Lally obtained such knowledge. "Remind me to call Dr. Goosens" suggests that Lally is an underdog who exposes others' secrets in order to silence them. This manipulation persists, as Lally was not meant to know about Vernon's psychiatric appointment.

Despite being under a psychiatric order, Vernon is subjected to harsh treatment by a callous individual. The man's malicious intent causes feelings of sympathy towards Vernon. Additionally, Lally further intensifies the metaphorical wound by whispering, "Thanks for the story."

The text depicts Lally as a character with malicious intentions who utilizes his relationship with Doris to target Vernon. Lally is immersed in the business of "rental care" and attempts to avoid getting into trouble when Vernon tries to implicate him. However, the truth becomes evident when Vernon discovers that Lally is the one responsible for leaving people, including his mother, with nothing. Even when confronted with the truth, Lally continues to fabricate excuses, as shown by him dabbing at the corner of his eye and suggesting insincere actions. His interactions with Doris are phony and superficial, as evidenced by his use of tasteless idiolect such as "Well Hi baby". Despite this, Doris fails to see through him.

The poem "I see a love poem

from Lally to mom" suggests that Doris and Lally's love and connection are shallow and pointless, with Lally's dominance over Doris being the only thing present. Lally flatters Doris by presenting her as a flawless image- "hot and sweet, like my woman," making Doris happy to be viewed this way. Vernon characterizes their relationship as vulgar, with Doris unaware due to Lally's love-induced blindness. Vernon's perspective prompts discomfort and empathy from the reader.

Doris' confession, "Don’t tell your nana, but I had to raid the lawnmowing fund to help Lally", highlights her strong affection for Lally, even surpassing her own son's. This reveals the significant influence Lally has over Doris. However, Lally fails to assist Doris in discovering her principles as he responds with "after what he did to you? What about what you did to me?", indicating his lack of empathy towards Vernon. This demonstrates that Doris is not concerned about Lally's wrongdoing against Vernon, but is instead inclined to expose Vernon's transgressions, despite much of it being exacerbated by Lally’s presence. Moreover, Doris presumes that everyone desires her new partner.

The statement "Oh baby, you're jealous" illustrates Doris' suspicion that her new partner is being coveted by everyone. Although Vernon, among others, is uninterested in him because they can perceive his true nature, Doris believes that Vernon is attempting to separate them. She believes he does so because he doesn't approve of Lally, who he believes is competing with his father, causing him to dislike Lally more than he should. However, this assumption may only be partly accurate. When Doris begins dating Lally, she is left bewildered because "a woman knows these things,"

implying that she's been duped and misled since she's oblivious to Lally's objectives or motives. Lally persuades Doris to adopt a different name, stating that he couldn't make up his mind between Vanessa or Rebecca. This supports the notion that Lally is insincere and that Doris accepts deception because she feels appreciated even though Lally is attempting to alter her intrinsic self. Vernon's inner monologue backs the idea of their exceptionally rapid connection.

The statement "Well, I'm not even dressed" suggests that the relationship between Doris and Lally has progressed. Additionally, "Shush Lally is sleeping" implies that Doris is thoughtful of Lally's rest, despite Lally not having the same consideration for her. Despite the potential danger to his secret, when Lally threatens to leave, Doris pleads with him to stay and suggests changing their phone number to avoid being found out.

The speaker is trying to convince Lalito not to leave, believing that he loves her more than anyone else. She criticizes Vernon for giving out Lally’s number and expresses her desperate desire for him to stay. However, Lalito is not committed to their relationship, and the speaker is oblivious to the fact that what she calls a ‘whole month of bliss’ is far from the truth.

The opposite of bliss is the situation of a mother whose son, a convicted murderer, is being framed by the person she loves. This person happens to be Lally, who treats the mother poorly and is determined to cause trouble for the son. Vernon's negative perception of Lally stems from his mistreatment towards the mother and his intentions to harm Vernon's son. According to Vernon, Lally

is accountable for all the misfortunes that continue to befall him, as hinted by his phrase "The reason steps into the hallway". Vernon has already studied and understood Lally's character, describing him as promiscuous with a "cock flapping all over the place", which also belittles him by implying that an "electron microscope" is required to see it. Vernon gets incensed whenever Lally resorts to manipulative and cunning ways of behavior.

The statement "I fill with acid blood" indicates that Vernon is extremely angry and upset as Lally is trying to magnify his wrongdoing. Lally is meddling in matters that do not relate to him just because he supposedly loves his mother, as evident from the comment "A person bailed for murder would do better too..".

In the presence of Lally, Doris puts on a false persona, causing an unfamiliar scent to emanate from her. This behavior is indicated by the phrase 'An alien scent drags behind her', and suggests that she becomes someone unrecognizable to Vernon. Furthermore, Doris displays less modesty when around Lally, as evidenced by the description 'Filmy pink robe'. This indicates that Lally has transformed her into a Jezebel.

Vernon expresses repulsion towards seeing Lally and Doris together through the statement "My ole lady was never honey bear like this with my daddy." He holds the belief that Doris did not treat his father in the same manner as she does with Lally. Moreover, when "Mom throws her head back and laughs," it suggests that Doris is pretending to be content and will cling onto anything that reinforces this pretense, including Lally.

To summarize, Lally's relationship with Doris is characterized by Lally using

Doris to achieve her own goals of attaining a flawless image and love. Pierre's depiction of the interactions between the two reveals their artificiality and insincerity. Lally is portrayed as manipulative but also cowardly, while Doris appears oblivious and fake. Vernon's thoughts demonstrate his disdain for Lally, whom he knows is trying to deceive him and his mother. In the end, both Lally and Vernon's mother metaphorically betray him, causing him to feel betrayed once more.