“Simple Recipes” by Madeleine Thien, and “The Closing Down of Summer” by Allister MacLeod, both possess a theme of isolation or alienation within two different family dynamics, caused by cultural division. The impression of isolation found in the text is generated from the the character’s inability to communicate their internal emotions, or the forceful demand to adhere to cultural traditions. Macleod narrating protagonist has become detached from his family, losing the ability to communicate to them due to his seasonal occupation and adapting to the sub-culture of his work life. Whereas Thiens story demonstrates how the behaviour of a parent’s desire to retain cultural traditions has produced a dividing tension between the contrasting social …show more content…
Thiens father figure remains fixed to the cultures of the monsoon, whereas Macleod fatherly trope has forgotten social norms and replaced it with the conventions of the mining shaft. The cultural deviation is emphasized through the form of language barriers between parent and child. Which is demonstrated in Thiens story when the daughter hears her parents speaking a “forgotten language”, the recurring inability to understand them. The dissociation of communication is emphasized when the mother is incapable to soothe her daughter as the son is disciplined, she recognizes her brother’s screams yet is incapable to comprehend her mother’s words (154). Yet, this implies a significance in one’s actions that overcomes language language barrier. Yet this too emphasizes the father’s action in disciplining the son with a bamboo stick, in comparison to his criticism. Given the norms of the parents is alien to the children, the mode of discipline is considerably horrendous. Which is demonstrated in the innuendo of each bamboo swing acting as an axe, and the concept of “a tree falling” metaphorically resembling the idea of the family tree being cut down. Which is followed with the focus of the blood trickling down the sons back, expressing the only concept linking that family is their blood. The blood of the son is the same as the father’s, yet there is something beyond blood that bonds …show more content…
This difficulty found in Thiens story as the father stands in the doorway, incapable to speak and properly express himself (155). Macleod’s narrator desires to show his children what he faces on a daily basis in order to maintain their life-style, and what he wants them to avoid. How desires to express that his work situation is similar to that of a gladiator, always preparing himself for death. Yet this is the unseen and unheard fatherly actions, sacrifices, and hardships made within his occupation. all driven towards the sole intention for the betterment of his family. He surpasses the duty of fatherhood, yet consequently loses the emotional ties with his children. The missed opportunities to act as a parent, which is done in Thiens story; The mother’s action in soothing the daughter, or the act of a father rearing his children, are examples of missed moments in fulfilling or even failing in the role of being a parent. The harsh realization that he wasn’t present for the birth of any of his children, nor there to comfort his wife in the death of two. Additionally, being absent for all of his children’s youthful accomplishment, or needs for a father. Someone else stepped in took his role as a father, which is emphasized through the “broken tricycle wheels and dolls with crippled limbs have been
“The Inheritance of My Father: A Story for Listening” comments on the issues of family ties, identity and belonging in relation to hybridization. Roemer’s purpose involves the highlighting of the relationship between finding one’s identity and finding one’s voice. He achieves this by allowing the readers to embark on a journey of self-discovery with the child narrator Bonkoro, who changes from a docile, almost voiceless “child” before the summer vacation to a renewed, confident and articulate “adult” at the end of her vacation. This short story is a unified and coherent production since several aspects of Roemer’s craft testify to the intimate interrelation of finding one’s identity and one’s voice. Roemer emphasizes the theme of self-discovery
The boy comprehends the severity of the situations he is faced with, such as lack of food or water, and treats his father with the same respect and equality that the man gives him. He insists on sharing his portions with his father when they are uneven, and he remains cautious at all times, even when his father is not. The boy’s fire is fueled by his love for his father, which is shown by the boy’s priority on caring for his father’s wellbeing, just as the man does for him. This love and responsibility, manifesting in the form of self-sacrifice and compassion, lies in direct juxtaposition to the rest of the world, where selfishness and indifference reigns
Firstly, one’s identity is largely influenced by the dynamics of one’s relationship with their father throughout their childhood. These dynamics are often established through the various experiences that one shares with a father while growing up. In The Glass Castle and The Kite Runner, Jeannette and Amir have very different relationships with their fathers as children. However the experiences they share with these men undou...
Jeannette and her father Rex have a hopeful beginning to their relationship which consists of its own heroic moments filled with many learning experiences, moments of trust, and source of comfort, which letter on took a disappointing end filled with, hypocrisy, lack of trust, lack of protection, alcohol addictions, and death.
It is the first time that Lizabeth hears a man cry. She could not believe herself because her father is “a strong man who could whisk a child upon his shoulders and go singing through the house.” As the centre of the family and a hero in her heart, Lizabeth’s dad is “sobbing like the tiniest child”She discovers that her parents are not as powerful or stable as she thought they were. The feeling of powerlessness and fear surges within her as she loses the perfect relying on her dad. She says, “the world had lost its boundary lines.” the “smoldering emotions” and “fear unleashed by my father’s tears” had “combined in one great impulse toward
The author clearly shows how his childhood effected his adulthood, making in a living example of what he is writing about allowing the audience to more easily trust what he is writing about. Instead of using factually evidence from other dysfunctional family incidences, the author decides to make it more personal, by using his own life and comparing family ideas of the past to the present.
In a normal functioning family, both parent and child care for and love one another, and display these feelings. A parent is required to nurture his or her child and assure that the child feels loved by spending time together, and by giving the child sufficient attention. However, there are often times when a parent is unable to fulfill these requirements, which can ultimately have damaging effects on the child. A child who is neglected by his or her parents “perceives the world as a hostile and uncaring place. In addition to this negative perception of the world, the neglect a child faces affects later interaction with his or her peers, prompting the child to become anxious and overly withdrawn” (Goldman). This neglectful type of parenting proves to be a pattern in the novel Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, as the main characters, Jimmy, Crake, and Oryx are crucially affected by their parents’ choices and are unjustly abandoned by them. In this novel, the neglect of parents, especially mothers, is clearly reflected in the behaviours of the three main characters.
pity in the reader by reflecting on the traumatic childhood of her father, and establishes a cause
Looking back on the death of Larissa’s son, Zebedee Breeze, Lorraine examines Larissa’s response to the passing of her child. Lorraine says, “I never saw her cry that day or any other. She never mentioned her sons.” (Senior 311). This statement from Lorraine shows how even though Larissa was devastated by the news of her son’s passing, she had to keep going. Women in Larissa’s position did not have the luxury of stopping everything to grieve. While someone in Lorraine’s position could take time to grieve and recover from the loss of a loved one, Larissa was expected to keep working despite the grief she felt. One of the saddest things about Zebedee’s passing, was that Larissa had to leave him and was not able to stay with her family because she had to take care of other families. Not only did Larissa have the strength to move on and keep working after her son’s passing, Larissa and other women like her also had no choice but to leave their families in order to find a way to support them. As a child, Lorraine did not understand the strength Larissa must have had to leave her family to take care of someone else’s
Nothing hurts more than being betrayed by a loved one, Christopher’s father has no trust in Christopher and tells him that his “Mother died 2 years ago”(22) and Christopher thinks his mother died of a heart attack. When Christopher finds out his father lied, he runs away to live with his mother and his father despritally looks for him and while looking for him realizes the importance of telling the truth. When someone betrays one’s trust, they can feel morally violated. Once Christopher finds his mother, she begins to realize how unfit her living conditions are for Christopher and brings him back to his father, bring him “[..] home in Swindon”(207) Christopher feels incredibly hurt and distressed he does not want to see his father. Whether a relationship can be repaired depends entirely on whether trust can or cannot be restored. Christopher’s father works very hard to regain his trust, he tells his son “[..] I don’t know about you, but this...this just hurts too much”, Christopher’s father is dealing with the result of being dishonest with his son and himself.
The love one has for their family causes one to do anything to keep them out of harm, including taking the role of mother/father. Henry Lawson creates an image in his readers’ mind of the protagonist and all that she does for her
A misconception that we often have about family is that every member is treated equally. This fallacy is substantially portrayed in Alistair Macleod’s short story, “In The Fall”. Typically speaking, in a family, the Mother is the backbone for kindness and provides love and support with no unfair judgements. However, when we relate to the portrait of the Mother in Macleod’s short story, we perceive the portrait as a self-centered woman whose affection is only shown upon what interests her. The Mother’s unsympathetic persona is apparent throughout the story as she criticizes all that holds sentimental value to her husband and children.
The poem His stillness by Sharon Olds gave her a definite understanding of the man that she called “father.” Olds grew up in an abusive family home because her dad was always known as an alcoholic. Because of her dad’s habit, created hard living environments for her and she wished that her parents never got married. Whenever liquor was in her dad’s system, he was unemotional making life for Olds hard. She never described the things that he did to her. The visit to the doctor’s office made her opened up to her dad. She saw her dad as lovely and caring family man and she never imagine him being the man that he was at the doctor’s office. He did not overreacted when he heard news; instead he was calm and accepted the news. She felt tremendously sad for her dad and from there now she started noticing the man she never knew. Olds and her dad bond grew stronger at the doctor’s office. The man she had always known for his abusive behavior turned out the most caring man in the world.
Adam, a corporal officer, starts as man who works everyday to catch the ‘villains’ of society, but is not spending enough time with his family, especially his son. He favors his nine year old daughter over his fifteen year old son. Adam views his daughter as a sweet child, and his son as a stubborn teenager who is going through a rebellious stage. However, when his daughter is killed in an accident, his perspective of family changes. In his grief, he states that he wishes he had been a better father. His wife reminds him that he still is a father and he realizes that he still has a chance with his son, Dylan. After his Daughter’s death, he creates a resolution from scriptures that states how he will be a better father. Because of the resolution he creates, he opens up to and spends more time with his son. By th...
The relationship between a father and his son can be articulated as without a doubt the most significant relationship that a man can have throughout the duration of his life. To a further extent the relationship between a father and a son can be more than just a simple companionship. Just like a clown fish and a sea anemone, both father and son will rely on each other in order to survive the struggles of their everyday lives. Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and Gabriele Muccino’s The Pursuit of Happyness both depict a story between a father and son using each other as a means of survival when faced with adversity. When placed in a tough situation father and son must create a symbiotic relationship in order to survive. Upon the duo of father and son can creating a symbiotic relationship, it will result in a mutual dependency on each other. This theme of paternal love is omnipresent given the bond between the two characters.