Family Dynamics Deconstructed In 'Fire And Ice' By Robert Frost

Family Dynamics Deconstructed Destructive relationships tend to be created from some sort of animosity between two people. That feeling of disdain can easily be translated into actions, whether it be turning one’s back on someone or having a confrontation and making a scene. Neither scenario has a happy ending, and more often than not, the love, friendship, or kinship that was previously there is broken or gone forever. “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost approaches the idea of broken relationships through a lens of two polar opposite states and associates them with similar feelings. In doing so, Frost parallels many of the same relationship dynamics displayed in Tayari Jones’ Silver Sparrow, specifically between Dana and her father. Robert Frost’s

They do not come by as often, but icy moments carry more weight than their fiery counterparts. “Ice” connotes isolation or having an absence of care or love. The narrator of the poemdoes not feel as strongly about ice as he does fire, but still manages to declare, “To say that for destruction ice is also great and would suffice” (7-9). It may not be as sexy as fire, but ice holds the same amount of power in its ability to tear apart relationships and do so successfully. The most tragic case of “Ice” in Silver Sparrow comes during the scene in which James decides to leave Dana at a rural gas station by herself until Gwen picks her up after a busted tire stops Dana and Chaurisse from attending a party out of town. He does so in order to save his own skin and avoid fighting with Gwen on yet another occasion. He is unsuccessful, though, because Willie Mae and Gwen show up before he can leave with Chaurisse and Raleigh. His most defining statement comes when he tells Gwen, “Go take care of your child, Gwen. Tell Willie Mae to move her car so I can get by’” (288). The gas station scene is a turning point in the novel where James can show equal treatment to his daughters or choose sides. In this moment, he turns his back completely on Dana and chooses to leave her by herself for the sake of his own identity. Not only that, but his refusal to acknowledge that Dana is also his child shows a choice of ego over family. While James may not outright say it, he does not truly care about Dana and her well-being, especially in high stakes moments where his pride is on the line – showing a lack of a good moral compass. His choice to leave her behind pushes their relationship to the point of no return, and even though it was already fragmented prior, there was no path to returning to normalcy after what happened at