The Nuclear Family Nuclear Family. Noun. A couple and their dependent children, regarded as a basic social unit (Abate and Jewell, The New Oxford American Dictionary). This definition has changed in both meaning and prevalence over time; it used to signify just a father, a mother, and their children, but now it’s become more inclusive to families who didn 't quite meet that description. Also, this set-up is far less common that it was, since rates of single parents have skyrocketed over the past 50 years (Tenenbaum, “Honor Thy Mother”). Despite this, the nuclear family is still the basic foundation of all familial relationships today. The novel Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns is based on the lives (and deaths) of each member of a nuclear …show more content…
All four of these characters all share a flawed, yet close bond; at their core, they are fiercely loyal to each other even though they often disagree. Characters outside of this nuclear family, like Will Tweedy and Love Simpson, feel like outsiders since they can’t comprehend the complicated dynamics behind this group. In the novel Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns, the characters Mattie Lou, Rucker, Mary Willis, and Loma all feel conflicted by their differences and natural loyalty to each other, which adds to the book’s tone of confliction and confusion. In the novel Cold Sassy Tree, author Olive Ann Burns demonstrated the bonds between the original members of the Blakeslee family: Rucker, Mattie Lou, Mary Willis, and Loma. For instance, after Loma’s husband commits suicide, her father and sister comfort her in the quote “Mama [Mary Willis] got up from the bed and put her hand on Loma’s arm. ‘Sugar, here’s Pa,” she said softly....As we filed out, he was …show more content…
The death of Mattie Lou brought on countless disagreements between Rucker and his daughters, especially since he remarried a much younger woman, Miss Love Simpson, only three weeks after their beloved mother’s death. Their reaction to this scandalous news was illustrated in the quote “[Rucker]‘I’m aimin’ to marry Miss Love Simpson.’ Mama’s [Mary Willis’] and Aunt Loma’s mouths dropped open and their faces went white..Aunt Loma’s face got as red as if she’d been on the river all day, but it was Mama who finally spoke. In a timid voice she said…(Burns 5)”. The theme of confliction, like how these women feel loyal towards both their father (they want him to be happy) and their mother (they don’t want her reputation to be tarnished) continues for the rest of the novel. His remarriage nearly tears the remaining members of the nuclear family apart. The reactions each daughter had to this news demonstrates their character: Loma’s immediate anger foreshadows many of her actions, and Mary Willis’ shyness continues on throughout the story. For instance, her natural sheepishness inhibits her from speaking up for herself, like when she wanted to go to New York City but her father and his new wife decided to take the trip instead. This is signified in the excerpt “Mama hurried down the stair steps, carrying a bright smile and her nicest petticoats an nightgowns to hang out for airing. I knew she could hardly wait to tell
One definition is “a significant social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.” While such definition is a good starting point, some modern family structures are excluded by such definition. In her essay, “Family: Idea, Institution, and Controversy,” Betty Farrell apparently assumes that the traditional family has dramatically changed, and the dynamics of change—altered the definition of a “family.” A family is no longer a picture of a particular image of the mythic past, referring to the golden days of the “1950s.” It is no longer a father, mother and their biological children living together under one roof (and certainly not with the a breadwinner father and a stay-at-home mother). In today 's modern society, it is now common to see women raising their children by themselves without their husbands’ help; unmarried couples living together; and gay and lesbian couples—while far from being universally accepted—adopting and raising children to complete their families. Therefore, despite the children living in one-parent households, or they do not live with their “married-heterosexual-biological-parents” under the same roof—does not necessarily mean they are not families. Farrell states that “a family is defined not so much by a particular set of people as by the quality of relationships that bind them together.” In other words, Farrell believes that a “family” is more than just a collection
Every human being needs to have some kind of relationship in order to maintain a healthy well-being. Someone who is there to give support and guidance is an important ingredient to one’s life recipe. The women in The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, show very generous support towards one another. The best example of this is displayed in Lou Ann and Taylor’s relationship. When Taylor and Lou Ann are first introduced, Lou Ann doesn’t believe in herself. She constantly puts herself down and doesn’t see her full potential. Her negative relationship with Angel is
“In the 1950’s, 86 percent of children lived in two-parent families, and 60 percent of children were born into homes with a male breadwinner and a female homemaker” (Conley 451). In contrast, “in 1986, fewer than 10 percent of U.S. families consisted of a male breadwinner, a female housewife, and their children, a figure that has since fallen to 6 percent” (Conley 455). Modern families come in all shapes and sizes. They no longer follow the strict nuclear family layout. There are many reasons why the nuclear family is no longer the most common family type. Some of these reasons include increased divorces, increased acceptance of different sexual orientations, increased amount of couples choosing not to get married/common-law marriages, increased amount of people choosing not to have children (rise of birth control methods), increased amount of families with both parents working/needing to work, etc. Personally, I do not believe the decrease in the nuclear family model is a bad thing. By definition a family is just a group of people who are related or married/in a relationship and it can still be a healthy and well-functioning unit no matter the size or combination of people it is made up
The traditional values of a “Nuclear Family” that were set up in the 1960’s are a reoccurring theme throughout “The Country Husband” by John Cheever. Francis Weed demonstrates the strain of a domestic lifestyle, and his character communicates the chaos that pressure ensues. With changes in attitude, the struggles of a traditional suburban community, characterization of a middle-aged man who suffers with morality and the desperation for escape from reality, Francis Weeds finds himself in what would be identified as a “mid-life crisis.” In the short story, Francis portrays reckless behavior due to the adolescent yearnings. He wants to pursue an unattainable affair with the engaged babysitter that his wife hires. With his codependent characteristics, Francis is unable to escape his reality. When Julia, his wife, threatens to leave him due to his uncaring demeanor he persuades her to stay because he realizes that he is hopeless without her and he simply
After five years of being raised and living with their grandmother whom they truly loved, the girls had a rude awakening. Their grandmother, Sylvia had passed away. “When after almost five years, my grandmother one winter morning eschewed awakening, Lily and Nona were fetched from Spokane and took up housekeeping in Fingerbone, just as my grandmother had wished” (Robinson 29). This was the final attempt that their grandmother had made in order for the girls to have a normal and traditional life. This is a solid example of how the sister’s lives are shaped by their family and their surroundings. Lucille’s ultimate concern in life is to conform to society and live a traditional life. She wishes to have a normal family and is sorrowful for all of the losses that she has experienced such as her mother’s and grandmother’s deaths. On the other hand, Ruthie, after spending more time with her future guardian, Aunt Sylvie, becomes quite the transient like her.
From the time a child is born, in usual circumstances, that child is loved unconditionally. A person grows up with their family, and is able to express who they really are. Because of this, ties within the family are usually quite strong. Take for example the relationship between Idgie and Buddy: Idgie (Imogene), a dare-devilish tomboy, and her older brother Buddy are quite close until Buddy's untimely death. Idgie takes his passing with difficulty: "You never saw anybody hurt so much. I thought she would die right along with him" (Flagg, p.37).
She anticipates that soon her daughter Maggie will be married and she will be living peacefully alone. Mama decides that she will wait in the yard for her daughter Dee's arrival. Mama knows that her other daughter, Maggie, will be nervous throughout Dee's stay, self -conscious of her scars and burn marks and jealous of Dee's much easier life. Mama fantasizes about reunion scenes on television programs in which a successful daughter embraces the parents who have made her success possible.
It is not difficult to find a connection between Olive Ann Burns’ life and the characters of her novel Cold Sassy Tree. At the time the author was writing this novel, she was also dealing with cancer. “Being a journalist, I never expected to get around to fiction,” but in 1975 a cancer diagnosis altered her plans. Even before she left the doctor’s office, she had decided to write a novel, a decision that “surprised me more than the diagnosis” (Purcell, 53). To keep her mind busy, she began a novel with characters based on the tales her father had told about his family. Although she began assimilating those tales after her mother’s death from cancer, she had not developed them into a coherent storyline. Her character, Will Tweedy, grew up in the same time period as did her father and would have experienced the major changes of that era such as the introduction of electricity and automobiles.
The novel challenges the contradicting sides of the expectation and reality of family and how each one contains a symbiotic relationship. The ideal relationship within families differ throughout The Bean Trees. Kingsolver focuses on the relationship between different characters and how they rely on each other to fill the missing gaps in their lives. When Taylor and Lou Ann meet, they form a symbiotic relationship and fill the missing gaps in each others lives. Once the two women move in with each other, Lou Ann fills Taylor’s missing gap of motherly experience and opens her eyes to a life full of responsibilities.
Although growing up without his parents was difficult and confusing for Hughes, it was during this time that his fire for literature was sparked by his grandmother, who always told Hughes stories of independent and strong forbears (Mullane 499). Hughes's grandmother, Mary Sampson Patterson Leary Langston, was prominent in the African American community in Lawrence. Her first husband had died at Harper’s Ferry fighting with John Brown; her second husband, Hughes's grandfather, was a prominent Kansas politician during Reconstruction. Hughes has been quoted as saying, “Through my grandmother’s stories, always life moved heroically to an end. Nobody ever cried in my grandmother’s stories. They worked, or schemed, or fought. But no crying. When my grandmother died, I did not cry either. Something about my grandmother’s stories(without her having said so) taught me the uselessness of crying.
Sheila and Mrs Birling are from a same wealthy family, with the relationship of mother and daughter, but they have different in characteristic and attitudes throughout the novel, which show the contradiction in ideology of different generations.
Kingsolver develops the story of a strong young woman, named Taylor Greer, who is determined to establish her own individuality. The character learns that she must balance this individualism with a commitment to her community of friends, and in doing this, her life is immeasurably enriched. Many books speak of family, community, and individuality. I believe, however, that the idea that Barbara Kingsolver establishes in her book, The Bean Trees, of a strong sense of individualism, consciously balanced with a keen understanding of community as extended family, is a relatively new idea to the genre of the American novel.
The novel, ‘A Tree Grows in the Brooklyn’ by Betty Smith explores the story of Francie’s fall from innocence and her coming of age. Francie eventually learns to value life more as she grew up. She experiences an assertion of life when the Americans initially enter the war that she must live each day the best she can. Francie aptly realizes that the minor issues in life that most people overlook constitute the much-needed happiness. The author underscores that Francie espouses desirable qualities from both her father and mother. Mary Frances Nolan is the daughter of second-generation Americans staying in Brooklyn and is the protagonist of the novel. Katie Nolan is Francie’s mom and hails from a family of strong women. Katie’s oldest sister, Aunty Sissy, is the only daughter of Mary Romney 's who has not learned to read and write. Aunty Sissy has the reputation of being perceived as an easy woman. Aunty Evy is Katie’s older sister and is portrayed as hard working and practical. Mary Rommely is Francie’s maternal grandmother who immigrated to America from Poland. Mary is a devout Catholic and believes in the supernatural. The paper lays a discussion about a heavenly tree, a tree of familial love that grows in Brooklyn, and that survives in any condition no matter how favorable or harsh it may be.
The family discussed in this paper is a traditional nuclear family. The family composition of this nuclear family unit consists of a mother (MD) age 28 and father (KD) age 26 in a monogamous marriage with four children (DD, MD, ED, and BD), whose ages are 7, 6, 5 and 18 months respectively, two dogs and a cat. The father and the mother are the children’s biological parents. Both father and mother act as the family’s head and decision makers.
The extended family predominated pre-industrially because of the need for a large family to help tend the land or look after those who were unable to do so. Infant mortality was high so you had to produce more children to be sure of having enough help. The family were a unit of production producing only the goods needed to survive and trading the remainder. Following the Industrial Revolution in the late 19th century, it was replaced by the nuclear family which was a unit of consumption as family members became wage earners and families needed to become more geographically mobile and move to where they could find work.