Family Theme In John Cheever

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Family Matters No two families are alike. Each family member has their own characteristics, problems and identity’s, but regardless of each individuals differences families should be there to support one another, learn from each other’s mistakes, and mold each individual to become a better person in life. This idea of family came from my own personal experiences with mine. They are truly everything to me and without them I would not be the person I am today. It is unfortunate that many people will never know what it truly feels like to be part of loving family. While reading “The Stories of John Cheever” it dawned upon myself that Cheever’s idea of a family is something extremely different from my views. One particular story that proved this point was “Goodbye My Brother”. Regardless of how dysfunctional or not your family is you shouldn’t blame them for the way you are and take time to step out of your day to day life and examine yourself from inside out. While reading “Goodbye My Brother”, a story about a family who whom of mostly are stuck in their old habits and in denial about how their family is “close in spirit” but in actuality there is a disconnect amongst the members. The narrator who remains nameless tells us a little background information about their family and instantly is depicted as “the good brother” over his brothers Chaddy and Lawrence. They are all at their summer beach house in “Lauds’s Head in Massachusetts” that their father had built and that’s where the conflicts really start to rise. The narrator depicts Lawrence as being the “evil brother” who is always negative and doesn’t enjoy spending time with his family. After reading parts of “Cheever A Life” by Blake Bailey and re-analyzing the
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