Spikes involves Kohn's interaction with a local boy named Bengt. At first the story gives a brief summary of Kohn's past involving his failed marriage. Afterward the story transitions into his meeting with Bengt. Kohn seemed uneasy around Bengt not knowing what to say to him and not wanting to fully pronounce his name. It seems Kohn feels sorry for Bengt with his mismatched hand-me-down baseball uniform. Even though Kohn had to go meet up with his lawyer he drove Bengt to his baseball practice and stayed for the entire practice. I feel as though Kohn develops a bond with Bengt mainly because they both have an loner personality. As the practice went on he noticed everyone else had a parental figure there to cheer the child on except Bengt. So he decided to stay and not go to the meeting. I believe there is the real bonding moment between the two of them. He no longer feels obligated to stay but rather wants to stay. Even after he calls his lawyer to apologize about the missed meeting he comes across a pair of baseball shoes and buys them for Bengt even though he has no obligation to do so.
I Agree
I definitely agree with your statement that Kohn and Bengt bond in an awkward sense with each other, which deeply affects Kohn to the point where he decides to revitalize his fatherly influence with the boy. Kohn's loss of a son had a tragic affect on his social life, forcing him into isolation. His wife had left him and was then threatening him through the legalities of a divorce, and the only slight comfort he could find was deep within himself as he manufactured his guitars. But, interacting with Bengt that day changed his entire attitude on his life and what he could then accomplish with what he already knew. Kohn knew how to be a father; fate just denied him such an opportunity.
I kind of agree with your idea that the two share a bond because of their lonliness and isolation from others, but I think that it may be more than that. They do indeed seem isolated, but it is for reasons that the two of them share, making their bond much stronger than just merely being lonely. Kohn's loss of his child resulted in his grieving which lead to isolation, where he "grieved at odd moments, privately, minutely, invisibly, almost even to himself" (Chabon, 126). But the main aspect that ties the two together is stated when Kohn was described as "not grieving enough" (Chabon, 126). This leads right to Bengt, who has lost his father, but is looking at his situation with a different perspective. His father's pennies that he is hitting into the mud could possibly represent the memories of his father. As he hits each one, he is letting go of each fatherly memory and is coming to terms with himself and dealing with his loss through letting go of those powerful emotions. It is Bengt's newfound state of tranquility and Konh's lack of grief that bring the two together.
Bengt seems ready to head into a new chapter of his life, with or without a father, while Kohn feels that he needs something to fill the void in his heart where his child and wife once occupied. These emotions fit the two characters together like a puzzle. Bengt accepts Kohn as a fatherly figure, giving him the roll of pennies, which could possibly represent a shift in fatherhood for the boy. Kohn also accepts Bengt as being like a son to him, as he is motivated to stay at the practice and cheer him on, completely disregarding his meeting about his divorce, which is now merely a thing in the past to him. The two are joined through the fufillment of the voids within both their hearts, just they are at opposite ends of what they desire to fill that void.