The poem His stillness by Sharon Olds gave her a keen understanding of the man she called "father." Olds grew up in an abusive family home because his father was always known as an alcoholic. Due to her father's habits, it created a difficult living environment for her and she wished her parents would never marry. Whenever alcohol was in his father's system, he would remain unmoved, making life difficult for Olds. She never described the things he did to her. The visit to the doctor led her to open up to her father. She considered her father a sweet and caring family man and she never imagined him to be the man he was at the doctor's office. He didn't overreact when he heard the news; instead, he was calm and accepting of the news. She felt extremely sad for her father and from then on she began to notice the man she never knew. Olds' bond with his father grew stronger at the doctor's office. The man she had always known for his abusive behavior turned out to be the most caring man in the world. As a child, Sharon Old's childhood was described as "hell fire." Growing up, she was told she would go to hell. In Olds' poem, she attempts to express how she felt about her early childhood with an abusive father and her relationships with his family. Olds wrote many poems about his relationship with his alcoholic and impotent father and his journey to help deal with these memories and forgive his father for loving the dying man. Most of Old's poems are about her journey from an abusive home to healing from her past memories of a man who disgusted her. Her poems are her ways of speaking out loud to describe domestic violence, sexuality and family relationships. Like any poem, "His Stillness", the theme of the poem was about Olds getting closer to his father with ...... middle of paper ...... to the doctor, this affected his relationship with his father. They grew closer and she was surprised that when her father heard the news from his doctor, they didn't have to tie him up because of his aggressive behavior. “I sat next to him. He was my father” (Olds 440). She expected her father to act crazy since she had always known him to be an aggressive person, but she didn't get that from him. However, his attitude changed instantly and the way his daughter viewed him as an alcoholic changed her perception of her father. Towards the end of the poem, it showed how Olds was shocked to understand his father. life began to awaken in me” (Olds 440). It was a new beginning for her and her father. She tried to bond with her father when she realized that her father was actually a lovely and caring man. She informed her readers that she hated her father but