Throughout our class discussion and observing other peoples blogs I have noticed a tendency to affirm characters in the book based on how they think rather than how they act. Coalhouse Walker has largely escaped criticism for his terrorism because he is fighting to support a cause--racial equality--that we all affirm. As was mentioned in class, this may be partially because we don't feel comfortable criticizing a black man in that situation. However, Younger Brother largely escaped criticism for blowing things up as well even though his personal and racial pride was not called into question. Nobody slammed Emma Goldman for taking part in or affirming assassinations (or assassination attempts) because her idea's about women and maybe even anarchism were accepted by most of the class as progressive.
On the other hand, Father was mostly criticized by the class because he has many prejudiced ideas even though his actions in the book are by and large not harmful to others. He can be prejudiced, full of himself, and not always very considerate of others, but when he realizes his flaws or other people point them out he tries to change.
When we first meet Father he is on a journey to the North Pole. Father is pretty full of his own importance here and maybe irresponsible to leave his family for so long, I can't fault him to much for following his dream and trying to be a part of something bigger. While he is on the expedition we get glimpses into his mind that indicates he views the Esquimos as primitive savages, but we never see him be anything but friendly and curious with them. He does cheat on Mother, which is not to his credit, but he also regrets and feels really guilty about this afterwards. We also see some prejudice flair up when he he finds himself "unaccountably resenting Henson's presumption" that he would be the one chosen to go to the North Pole, but at the same time he initiates conversation with Henson and that "actually Father believed Henson had a good case."
When Father returns home, he is met with a new household and he "wandered around the house finding everywhere signs of his own exclusion." He probably should have foreseen this when he left, but certainly not to the extent of two added members to the household. He is experiencing reverse culture shock and how quickly things change, and although he mopes around a lot I can't really blame him and he doesn't lash out and harm anyone which must take restraint.
When Coalhouse comes, Father is initially prejudiced because he is not deferential enough. Soon, however, he overcomes this and comes to respect Coalhouse. When Coalhouse carries out his first attack Father is again angry at him, but after talking with Younger Brother actually argues on Coalhouse's behalf with the police. At one point Father realizes he is being a distant father so he decides to be more involved, starting with taking him to a baseball game. We get some background of his past too, which helps humanize him. The media attention starts to swarm around the family, and Father does his best to shelter it.
Finally, we see Father go and lend his weight to the standoff in Morgan's library. While part of this is probably about Father's ambition, he really does try and help. He can see both sides of the issue, and before either side decides to make a rash decision, Father works it out so that both sides get what they wanted and the only casualty is a willing one. Doing this requires no shortage of bravery on his own part, especially standing with Coalhouse telling him about his son while Coalhouse is prepared to blow up the library if something goes wrong.
In the postscript it seems like his ambition may have got the best of him and he stops paying attention to his family. This does not seem out of his character, but it is an extreme example of his flaws and seems a negative way for him to go out. By and large, he is a force for good and for peace during the novel, but this gets ignored because of his potentially problematic ideology.
I agree--Father is especially impressive for his cool-headedness during the Coalhouse standoff, and as you say, this has a lot to do with his curious "in-between" position (and he's even more invested than he initially realizes, once he sees that Younger Bro. is involved). I'm especially struck when we see him slyly nudging the DA like an expert political advisor--he prompts him to see just why it would in fact be in his best interest to appear to give some ground toward Coalhouse's demands, while reminding him of the political gains to be made. But like a true political advisor, he allows the DA to believe these are all his OWN ideas. Father is also remarkably level-headed and brave when negotiating with Coalhouse. You make a good point: his personal attitudes are often distasteful or embarrassing, but it's not as if this makes him a programmatic racist on the level of someone like Conklin. It's just one more symptom of how he isn't quite made for the modern world. But he's certainly not the villain of the piece, and your commentary is an important reminder that he's just one more regular guy doing the best he can. He's at times awkward, at times rather impressive. And given developments between Tateh and Mother, I don't see him as primarily responsible for "ignoring" his family--they grow apart from him, into the 20th century.
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