Analysis Of The Fickett Family In Edgar Allen By John Neufeld

Families go through tough times, whether in real life or in fiction. An example of this is the Fickett family, in Edgar Allan written by John Neufeld. They live in an all-white community and adopt a Black boy named Edgar Allan. The family goes through tough times, but sometimes the tough times help families. The actions of the Fickett parents affect the children 's bonds with them, the family’s way of life, and their way of thinking. Michael is shown to be close to his father, going on walks where they talk to each other, but when Edgar Allan is returned to the adoption agency by Father, Michael becomes angry, confused, and conflicted about what his true feelings are. Towards the middle and end of Edgar Allan, the irate Michael

A factor in these sudden changes was how Mother and Father Fickett were affected. “... checkout lady had kept Mother waiting a very long time… when Mother’s turn finally came, she closed the line. So, Mother had to go to another clerk, and then to another… Mother became mad and said something about it. But no one answered her, and no one served her.” (Neufeld, page 70). This shows that after the town’s people learned that the Ficketts had adopted a Black child, people refused to serve them, they did not want the family to disrupt the town’s lifestyle. Just going out in public was a strain on everybody. When Michael asks about what they wanted, Father told him, “‘What the men from the church said Michael,’ he said after a very long time, ‘ was that if we decided to keep Edgar Allan, the church might ask me to leave. ’”(Neufeld, page 62). This scene shows Father’s job is being threatened and he’s being pushed into a corner. Father the same as the rest of his family had to alter their own response and were forced to change what they did in everyday life. The family had to alter their own lifestyles to do what they believed was

One of the biggest instances of this is the feelings of Michael to his Father, how he confronted him, and Michael 's own reaction. I haven’t talked much about how I feel towards Father now. It is not easy, really, is why. One day I feel one thing, and the next something different altogether.” (Neufeld, page 118) “‘Perhaps someday-- not now, but in a year or so, Michael you will let me present my case. Perhaps with a little more time, things won’t seem quite so simple. It’s hard to see everything when you’re twelve.”’ Father continues talking about the incident and reveals the church feels the same way about him. (Neufeld, 122-123) This shows how Michael with becoming frustrated with his father and how he no longer thinks of him as a whole man. This is one example of how the family’s view of each other changed and how the parents caused it. Michael’s view of Father changes when Father is no longer a whole