October Sky

            Throughout the story there were a great number of obstacles Homer must have overcome, each one difficult and unique.  The first and biggest obstacle for Homer was his father.  Another one of his close obstacles was the school’s principal.  The final obstacle that Homer must have obviously overcome was his own inexperience with building and firing rockets.  All of these problems that he faced he eventually triumphed over in the end.

            Homer’s father was the largest obstacle he had to face through the entire ordeal.  His father doubted every move he made to reach his dream and denied accepting it; trying to force him to work in the coalmine as his father had or go to college through a football scholarship.  He was the original opposition to Homer’s dream and aspiration and even threw away the components to Homer’s rockets in order to stop what he considered something like a wild fantasy.  However, in the end Homer showed his father that he could succeed at his dream.  Homer eventually earned his father’s trust and confidence at a rocket firing before the entire town, the trust and confidence a father should show his son.

            The second opposition Homer was met with was his principle, though he didn’t take a big role in Homer’s life.  The principal basically didn’t support the boys and almost commandeered one of their many rocket projects in school, claiming it to be a weapon. Quickly, though, a teacher who actually offered them support saved them.  The principle discouraged them from entering a science fair where they hoped that their rocket would earn them respect in the scientific community.  Homer overcame this obstacle by proving that the project was worthwhile when it won first place in that very same science fair.

            The final obstacle also seemed to break the boys’ hopes, but in a lesser way than the others.  This obstacle was Homer’s obvious inexperience with handling and building rockets.  Every time they tried to fire the rocket something would go wrong and they had to progressively learn from each mistake.  Many of the problems dealt with the rockets outer design and size, though fuel components also became a large issue as well as the rocket’s constructing material.  Eventually, many people who became impressed by Homer’s determination and drive offered him aid to work out each new problem that was created.  After many unsuccessful attempts, all the modifications and different people offering help finally paid off in the accomplished creation of a working rocket.

            In summary, there were many obstacles in Homer’s way of achieving his dream of building and firing a successful rocket.  His father was the largest problem, offering no support or trust though his father was so close to him by relation.  The principal was another minor obstacle that was soon overcome with the help of a supportive teacher.  Homer’s final obstacles were the rockets themselves and working out each malfunction that arose in the process of constructing and launching them.  Though Homer’s life seemed fraught with opposition and anti-supportive feelings he never gave up on his dream and soon overcame every obstacle in his path.