Roy’s Drinking, Sobriety, and Return

The Master Butchers Singing Club

Roy’s dependence on alcohol repeatedly damages his life and daughter, while brief sobriety offers an imperfect chance for change.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Father Lost in Grief A Father Lost in Grief from "The Master Butchers Singing Club". Drinking as Mourning A loss becomes a habit Roy Watzka turns to alcohol after losing Minnie.

A Father Lost in Grief from "The Master Butchers Singing Club". Drinking as Mourning A loss becomes a habit Roy Watzka turns to alcohol after losing Minnie.

Drinking as Mourning A loss becomes a habit Roy Watzka turns to alcohol after losing Minnie. In time, drinking becomes less a response to grief than a force that organizes his life. Delphine bears the cost Delphine grows up cleaning, working, and protecting what little the household has. Her affection for Roy coexists with anger at his failures.

A House Neglected A House Neglected from "The Master Butchers Singing Club". The Ruin at Home Delphine confronts the mess Delphine finds Roy’s home full of rot and refuse.

A House Neglected from "The Master Butchers Singing Club". The Ruin at Home Delphine confronts the mess Delphine finds Roy’s home full of rot and refuse.

The Ruin at Home Delphine confronts the mess Delphine finds Roy’s home full of rot and refuse. She and Cyprian remove the garbage while Roy is temporarily taken to town. A deeper discovery The filth hides a sealed cellar and the Chavers family’s bodies. Roy’s drinking has left him unable to explain what happened.

Sobriety After Eva Sobriety After Eva from "The Master Butchers Singing Club". A Different Roy Fear changes his habits Haunted by the cellar deaths, Roy stops drinking for a time.

Sobriety After Eva from "The Master Butchers Singing Club". A Different Roy Fear changes his habits Haunted by the cellar deaths, Roy stops drinking for a time.

A Different Roy Fear changes his habits Haunted by the cellar deaths, Roy stops drinking for a time. He repairs his home and begins caring for Delphine in ways she has never expected. Hope remains fragile His sobriety allows Delphine to glimpse a capable father. She wants to believe the change can last, despite knowing his history.

Relapse and Delirium Relapse and Delirium from "The Master Butchers Singing Club". The Old Pattern Returns Denial breaks Step-and-a-Half tells Delphine that Roy has started drinking again.

Relapse and Delirium from "The Master Butchers Singing Club". The Old Pattern Returns Denial breaks Step-and-a-Half tells Delphine that Roy has started drinking again.

The Old Pattern Returns Denial breaks Step-and-a-Half tells Delphine that Roy has started drinking again. Delphine recognizes signs she had overlooked and feels anger and helplessness return. A public collapse Roy wanders naked through town in delirium. Delphine chases and restrains him, then resumes the exhausting work of keeping him alive.

A Final Confession A Final Confession from "The Master Butchers Singing Club". Death and Truth The past comes into speech Weak and medicated, Roy admits that he sent Mr. Chavers to the cellar and may have closed the hatch.

A Final Confession from "The Master Butchers Singing Club". Death and Truth The past comes into speech Weak and medicated, Roy admits that he sent Mr. Chavers to the cellar and may have closed the hatch.

Death and Truth The past comes into speech Weak and medicated, Roy admits that he sent Mr. Chavers to the cellar and may have closed the hatch. Delphine hears the painful limits of his memory. No easy absolution Roy dies after years of drinking and dependence. Delphine grieves the father she had and the sober father she briefly began to know.

After Minnie’s death

1934, when Delphine returns

After Eva’s death

After Delphine returns from Chicago

Near the end of Roy’s life