Family
Titles in the Family Theme:"The Stone Boy" by Gina Berriault During the Reign of the Queen of Persia by Joan Chase "The Five-Forty-Eight" by John Cheever This House of Sky by Ivan Doig Ordinary People by Judith Guest A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry Points of View: An Anthology of Short Stories edited by James Moffett and Kenneth McElheny "A & P" by John Updike The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams During the Reign of the Queen of Persia (1983) is a novel of sisters, mothers, and daughters and–not least–their men, who can never compete with the fierce bonds that link the Ohio farm women and the Krauss family. Chase’s ability to give us memorable characters who revolve around their reigning "Queen of Persia," old Gram, is partly the result of her unique point of view: the "we" of four young cousins who speak as one. In the midst of family feuds, divided loyalties, awakening (and souring) sexuality, and deadly illness, Chase does not allow emotions to say into sentimentality or tragedy. A tart and rowdy humor presides over a book about survival through love (American Library Association, 1984). This House of Sky (1978) is a tale of growing up once-upon-a-time-in-the-West. It is also a tribute to a dying way of life, and a success story of breaking away from one’s past only to realize that, if one has a past like this, it is worth cherishing and chronicling. This House of Sky begins with the death of Doig’s mother at 31, when the author was only six. From that day on, Ivan and his father, Charlie, become inseparable partners and unique friends. The failure of Charlie’s second marriage brings them even closer. Yong Ivan feels "as though I was already grown and raised" with "an awareness that I was being counted special by being allowed into this blazing grownup worlds" of saloons and high adventure on the range. There are few children in the small Montana town, and Ivan must "board out" with other families to attend school in the winter, while his father works the high country. To stabilize their small family, Charlie summons Bessie Ringer, Ivan’s maternal grandmother. Much of the book is taken up with the forging of this remarkable trinity, as Lady and Charlie grudgingly bury their differences in their greater love for Ivan (American Library Association, 1984). Ordinary People (1976) written by Judith Guest portrays with psychological accuracy a family tragedy–the death of a son. It moves us because the unexpected death of a young person is a special loss, bringing with it guilt for those left behind. The three remaining Jarretts of Lake Forest, Illinois, try to cope with what they were and will become. These "ordinary people" are the epitome of the American success ethic: the father, Calvin, a self-made attorney; Beth, the beautiful wife, envied for her perfect house, her bridge and tennis games; and their son, Conrad, the overachiever (American Library Association, 1984). A Raisin in the Sun (1966) tells the story of a family that lives in a Chicago ghetto but is at a moment when "freedom" seems near. A widow, Mama Younger receives a $10,000 check from the life insurance policy of her dead husband. The money, which would be worth three times as much today, is the catalyst that brings on the family’s social revolution and internal evolution. Mama can buy a house in a white neighborhood, but can the family handle an uncertain future of white hostility? She can give her son money for his business venture, but can she trust him to invest wisely? Strong-minded but compassionate, Mama realizes she can only influence her children by her dignity and embracing love. The play presents us with an old-fashioned test of character for each family member and has rightly been lauded for its humor and its fairness in its treatment of explosive racial issues (American Library Association, 1984). Book Reviews and Information on Lorraine Hansberry Points of View: An Anthology of Short Stories edited by James Moffett and Kenneth R. McElheny (1966) "The Stone Boy" written by Gina Berriault recounts a tale of two young brothers, Arnold and Eugie, involved in a shooting accident while they are picking peas for their mother. After his rifle discharges, killing Eugie, Arnold continues to gather peas, then returns home to announce calmly, "Eugie’s dead." The reader is left to judge the boy, the consequences of his actions, and his choice to withhold his feelings from his parents. We see there will be no psychiatrist, as in Ordinary People, to help Arnold and his family to communicate. No one knows how to share Arnold’s grief, and the story offers no signposts, other than everyday chores which need to be done, life which must continue (American Library Association,1984). "The Five-Forty-Eight" (1954) tells the story of Blake, a middle-aged man, on his suburban train to disquietude. He is being pursued by a Miss Dent, whom he knows. Afraid, he’s sure that she plans violence, yet he tells us he’s an "insignificant man" whose briefcase holds no secrets. Gradually we learn he does have secrets, as he muses upon his loveless marriage, his adultery, his unhappy children. The latent danger he fears appears at last to take revenge on his mean spirit, and we ponder Miss Dent’s surprising choice of action. In the last scene, she renders a lesson to one who exploits others. But will the incident make a difference in Blake’s behavior? (American Library Association, 1984). "A & P" depicts a rite of passage as 19-year-old Sammy tells of a crisis in his job as cashier at the A & P. Because of a decision by the self-righteous manager to banish three scantily clad girls from the store, Sammy, in one grand gesture, resigns. No one cares. Sammy rejects the ugliness of the A & P, but with humor and irony, Updike shows the dangers of idealism. Though his family is not present in the story, Sammy realizes he will have to account to them for his behavior. The girls trigger an action that is irreversible, leaving Sammy with the painful knowledge of "how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter" (American Library Association, 1984). The Glass Menagerie (1945) is a play where Tom Wingfield remembers a decisive moment in the life of his family. The time is the Depression, the place St. Louis, and the family is shabbily genteel and fatherless. His shy sister, Laura, is not only physically but also psychologically disabled; she collects glass figurines, which symbolize her own emotional fragility. Their mother, Amanda, is a frayed southern belle, who hopes to teach her daughter how to use "charm" to get a man. Tom is a frustrated poet who works in a warehouse, escaping to the movies when reality comes too near (American Library Association, 1984). Book Reviews and Information on Tennessee Williams
Last updated: July 28, 2006 - 8:34am by eric.hildreth
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