"Kool-Aid Wino" Argumentative Essay

by Mary Slapkauskas

         My initial impression of Richard Brautigan's "The Kool-Aid Wino" was one of
uncertainty as to how I could approach the reading. This approach was simple, could I
really read this and try to understand it in terms of it's literary quality and then be able to
look at the positive and negative characteristics of the boy? I read the story and was 
quite unsure as to how I could pick one or the other. During the class discussion there 
were many valid points for both sides, and I resolved to write an essay using both sides.
In my opinion, I believe the boy has positive and negative characteristics. He is positive
because he managed to claim some sense of "order" in an otherwise "disordered"
situation, he behaves very much like a normal child, and because the author made 
a point of stating he was "illuminated". On the other side of the argument, the title of the 
work gives me a negative connotation; the boy also seems lazy in his activities and his
"ceremony" seems more like an obsession.
         The boy is positive because he managed to claim some sense of "order" in an
otherwise "disordered" situation. The author has made it a point from the very beginning
to state " he was a member of a very large and poor German family" meaning from the
very beginning the boy was in a situation out of his control. To add more emphasis,
Brautigan gives the boy a "rupture" that could not be fixed because the family was so
poor. The rupture is yet another thing over which the boy has no control. Brautigan also
shows some contrast such as the fat pheasants in the field to show the disorder outside 
the family. After all, the birds are fat, while his family struggles to live. However, the one 
thing the boy can control is the "making of the Kool-Aid" which the boy does in such an 
orderly manner. He treats this process like a "ceremony" which is sacred and allows him
to have a sense of order in his life. The ceremony is delicate much like the boy; every
part of the process is fragile because the boy's identity seems to be encompassed in it.
However, some could argue on the negative side that the "ceremony" seems like an
obsession because he is deliberately hiding from the disorder around him. It is the escape
from the reality in which he lives and with any obsession, it can be good or bad, but too
much of a good thing can create problems.
          The boy is also very much like normal child because he walks past dirty diapers,
hangs out with his friend, goes to the shop, has a "chicken house" that becomes his world
and in moments of deep concentration (such as making Kool-Aid) he ignores his
mother's request. All of these activities are typical for a child as they struggle with growing
up. The other side could argue that the boy is just lazy because he avoids the dirty diapers,
doing the dishes and instead of finding something else to do that would help the family, 
he makes Kool-Aid. Of course the positive side could counter with the fact that he is a 
child and he has a rupture, which stops him from participating in many activities.
          Brautigan made a very positive point when in the last line of the story he stated
that " he created his own Kool-Aid reality and was able to illuminate himself by it".
Now, in my opinion, I believe Brautigan uses "illuminated" to show enlightenment. The
enlightenment is the boy discovering his own selfhood amongst a world that is out of
control. The negative side could argue that from the very title of "The Kool-Aid Wino"
that by the nature of these words Brautigan wanted to point out a negative aspect of the 
boy's personality. After all, why would Brautigan write a title that seems so innocent
("Kool-Aid) and so dark ("Wino"-drinking too much cheap wine) if he wanted to make
a positive point. Another argument showing the negative characteristics of the boy can be
seen in the same last sentence at the mention of "created ... reality" which points back to
the obsession the child has.
          In conclusion, I can see the positive and negative characteristics of the boy. In
my opinion, I believe it would have been too harsh to stay strictly to one side of the issue,
as I cannot wholeheartedly accept both sides. I also believe that what is mentioned in the 
narrative comes from Brautigan and not the boy, so who knows if the story is true and
accurate. At any rate, Brautigan has made a story that really allows you to think through
your own perceptions, to make sound assumptions and of course when not to assume too
much.