Character relationships

Chris Gardner is Christopher’s father in the film The Pursuit of Happyness directed by Gabriele Muccino. The two of them are very close. From the beginning of the film, we can see that Chris is the one who is in charge of taking care of Christopher. He wakes him up, feeds him, and takes him to daycare. He is also the one who usually takes Christopher home from daycare and puts him to bed, only occasionally asking Linda to do it when he is unable to. 

It is worth noting that when Linda tells Chris she is leaving, Chris does not attempt to make her stay, but instead persuades her to let Christopher remain with him. This shows that he respects Linda’s decision to leave, but is not willing to lose Chris, highlighting how important Chris is to him. It is also worth noting that even Linda agrees that Chris is the one who is better at taking care of Christopher. In fact, even if the two of them are not on good terms, before she leaves, Linda tells him “I know you’ll take care of him” (00:51:10). This proves that Chris is Christopher’s primary caretaker.

Chris not only takes care of Christopher’s physical needs, but he also provides him with valuable advice, and interacts with him like an adult. He does not coddle him or treat him like a child, even though Christopher is only five years old. Chris info...