Historical Criticism: Father

Many of the poems in the first section of what matters most is how well you walk through the fire closely resemble Bukowski's childhood and refer to his father's violence and harsh demeanor. On page 22 there is a poem titled 'the mice' in which a father, presumably Bukowski's, violently burns up baby mice in an incinerator.  Bukowski, 10 years old, must sit in silent anger and helplessly watch these murders occur.  Here is a quote from the poem:

"the flame in the incinerator
was dying down.
it was all too late.
it was over.

my father had won
again."

Bukowski obviously wishes he could conquer his father but cannot, and lives most of his life in frustration of that fact.  Later he grows up and the frustration turns to complete resentment. 

On page 17, in a poem titled 'my father and the bum' Bukowski describes their clashing personalities by comparing their reactions to a third person.  Bukowski's father looks down upon those who do not have steady jobs or live within social norms while Bukowski idolizes them as rule-breakers.  He even compares the motivationless to "Freud,/ Jaspers, Heidegger, and/ Toynbee."