Lessons Learned Through Rebellion Against Parental Roles: John Fredericks Final Project

            In the novel Home Fire, we examined the parental figure of Karamat Lone and his relationship with his son, Eamonn. It’s very evident that Karamat has a negative impact on his son’s life. Eamonn feels an innate sense of rebelliousness towards his father. I was fascinated by this relationship, and wanted to examine parental relationships throughout different geographic areas and points in time. I settled on four main sources:

            Things Fall Apart

                        Chinua Achebe

            The Tale of Genji

                        Shikibu Murasaki

            “King Lear”

                        William Shakespeare

            To Kill a Mockingbird

                        Harper Lee

            To get a better picture of familial relationships, I selected texts that cover a wide range of both geographical locations and time periods.

            Let’s start in Nigeria in the 19^th century with a novel about the changing social climate with the increase in European colonizers in Africa. The main character, Okonkwo, in Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart is challenged with making a life of his own and separating himself from his father, Unoka. By attempting to differentiate himself from Unoka, Okonkwo alienates himself from his own son, Nwoye. Okonkwo’s world begins to crumble when his way of life becomes jeopardized by the Christian missionaries from Europe.

           We can then travel to 11^th century Japan and analyze the father-son relationship in the Tale of Genji. Throughout the story, Genji is a womanizer and finds little guidance from his father as to how to conduct himself in a moral manner. Genji’s attempts to become intimate with his own daughter, Murasaki, are hollow. Genji struggles with connectivity to those he loves throughout the plot.

            We then move to England in 800 BCE to learn about the familial pain endured by King Lear. In the beginning of Shakespeare’s play, Lear is unable to separate his role as a father and his role as a king. This leads to both the destruction of his family and his kingdom. Lear fails by not identifying his daughter, Cordelia’s, true love for him.

            Following the conflict in Ancient England, we fast-forward nearly 3,000 years and jump across the Atlantic Ocean to find ourselves in Georgia during the Great Depression. In Georgia, we find Scout Finch and her father, Atticus. Throughout the novel, Scout acts against her father’s will. Through her rebellious actions, Scout begins to understand her father’s perspective and incorporate his good morality into her own life.

            Many main characters feel an innate sense of rebelliousness towards their parental figure. Others let down their children because of their failures as parents. All four have experiences that lead them to either recognize the value of parenting or continue the hurtful cycle.

            I hope you all enjoy my exhibit!