Character Analysis
We don't get to know Ames's son very well, but he's only six, and he does what most six-year-olds do: he plays, he watches TV—you know the drill. He's the intended audience of the long letter that makes up the novel. Most of what Ames says pertains to past events and observations, but he'll occasionally comment on what his son is doing while he writes.
So, what do we know about this kid? For one, he shares his mother Lila's passionate and stern look of pride. Ames is always surprised to find his "eyebrows unsinged" after getting one of those looks (1.1.1). Also like his mother, the boy is very serious about everything. The old men in the town call him "Deacon" (1.1.18), which is a kind of clergyman. He's shy and short on giggles. Ames describes him as "a nice-looking boy, a bit slight, well scrubbed and well mannered" (1.4.5). His best friend is a boy named Tobias, but Ames fears that if his son had to choose between his friend and the television, he'd go with the TV.
Typical kid.