Family in Contemporary Fiction

Janet Cosbey, a sociology professor, claims that she has been using contemporary fiction novels to illustrate her lectures on family for years. As stated in her article, “Using Contemporary Fiction to Teach Family Issues,” Cosbey believes that “using contemporary novels is one way to supplement textbook reading assignments in a way that allows students to apply what they have learned, and at the same time, broaden their understanding of family issues.” (Cosbey 227) After reading numerous works of contemporary fiction, it’s clear why Cosbey frequently incorporates literature into her sociology classes. In many contemporary fiction novels, different aspects of family are used as main themes throughout the stories. For example, in The Secret Life of Bees and Breath, Eyes, Memory, and White Noise, traditional families may not only refer to parents and their offspring. Family may include other relatives, such as aunts and cousins, and even those who are not blood-relatives. In Interpreter of Maladies, different cultural family traditions are depicted throughout the stories.

Contemporary fiction often illustrates the fact that society has strayed away from the “traditional” family, consisting of a mother, father, and their children. In The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, it’s obvious that Lily desires the emotions and experiences only a mother can provide. Readers learn early on that Lily’s mother is absent from her life when T. Ray tells her, “the truth is your mother ran off and left you” (Kidd 39). Lily frequently struggles with her lack of a mother figure. In this novel, family members do not always have to be blood relatives. For Lily, her two “motherly” figures are Rosaleen and August. Although Rosaleen’s love for Lily is apparent, she lacks the compassion and gentle nature Lily believes a mother should possess. August’s love, guidance, and understanding provide Lily with her idea of a mother’s love. Like Lily, Sophie in Edwidge Danticat’s Breath, Eyes, Memory, does not have a functioning relationship with her mother. Raised in Haiti by her Aunt Atie, Sophie only begins to have somewhat of a relationship with her mother when she is flown to New York to live with her when she is 12. Sophie is so attached to her Aunt’s motherly aura; she is determined to give her Aunt the mother’s day card she made in class. Despite her Aunt’s protests for Sophie to save it for her mother because she “will only accept a card on Aunt’s Day.” (Danticat 13) As shown in both novels, the motherly character in contemporary fiction doesn’t have to be a mother at all to have a maternal impact on younger characters.

As previously stated, the idea of the traditional American family has become cliché and outdated. With rising divorce rates, many families are single-parent families or step/blended families. In White Noise, author Don DeLillo illustrates the reality of having a blended family. The main character Jack, a professor of Hitler studies at College-On-The-Hill, is married to his fourth wife, Babette. Together, they have four children from previous marriages living under their roof. With consumerism being the main focus of the novel, the aspect of family seems almost material in the sense that you can easily add and subtract members. In chapter 17, Babette comments to Jack that she likes having all the children around the house. Jack responds by saying “they’ll be one more soon” because Bee, his daughter, is visiting in a couple of days. Babette replies, “Good. Who else can we get?” (DeLillo 80) Babette’s casual nature when discussing “adding” children to the household develops a sense of consumerism that’s applied human life, alluding to the fact that children and other family members are sometimes viewed as objects rather than actual humans with thoughts and emotions. Through works of contemporary fiction, the definition and application of family are frequently explored. The aforementioned novels prove that most all people’s ideas of family are different. Family comes in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. Although all families have different cultures and tradition, the purpose of family, for love and support, is universal.

Works Cited

Cosbey, Janet. "Using Contemporary Fiction to Teach Family Issues." Teaching Sociology. 3rd ed. Vol. 25. American Sociological Association. 227-33. Print.

Danticat, Edwidge. Breath, Eyes, Memory. New York: Soho, 1994. Print.

DeLillo, Don. White Noise. New York, NY: Viking, 1985. Print.

Kidd, Sue Monk. The Secret Life of Bees. New York: Viking, 2002. Print.