Family

"Everyday Use" 

    In the short story, "Everyday Use," describes the conflicts of being a family. The narrator of the story has two daughters, Dee and Maggie. Maggie was the only one in the family who was fortunate enough to get a formal education. This leads to conflicts amongst the family because Dee is described to have good looks and ambition. Her ambition, good looks, and formal education have caused her to naturally drift away from her family that did not share the same passions. Maggie was characterized to be shy and unattractive, but have a very good relationship with the narrator because they are always together. Dee is against family traditions and her decisions prove costly when her grandmother passed away. Upon passing away, Dee and Maggie's grandmother left Maggie two quilts. The quilts are a product of daily routines and tasks. Made of dresses, shirts and uniforms that the family wore everyday. Dee was not left these quilts because she did not contribute to the everyday struggle that the family had to endure. Although she was family, the rest of her family did not feel like she wanted to be part of tradition therefore they left her out of tradition. Family is a very important theme in this short story because many families face conflicts when certain members of the family stray away from tradition for new ambitious desires. 

"A Good Man is Hard to Find"

    "A Good Man is Hard to Find" is a short story that describes how some families can have expectations of a "good man." In the story, the grandmother is very old fashioned. She persuades her family to take a trip to Tennessee. During this trip, the family get stopped by three men, carrying guns. One of the men seemed to be an escaped convict that the grandma was worried about. Before this, the family stopped at a restaurant and met the owner, Red Sam. During a conversation with Red Sam, the grandmother asks if anyone was worried about the misfit. Red Sam concluded the conversation by saying, "A good man is hard to find." During the attempted robbery, the grandma recognizes the convict and tries to prevent him from doing anything harmful to her. He calls him a good man several times. They go on to have a long conversation about Jesus and how the convict has faith in Jesus however, if nothing in the bible were true than he should live a life of doing mean things. In the end of the story, the grandmother tells the convict that he is "one of my children," right before he shoots her three times in the chest.

"The Rocking Horse Winner"

    The third short story that has to do with family is "The Rocking Horse Winner." This story is about a mother who is struggling with trying to appear as if she is rich when in reality, she is not. The mother, Hester, has three children. Her youngest son, Paul, believed he was a lucky boy and became obsessed with riding his rocking horse because he believed it will take him to some sort of luck. Paul has a good amount of luck because he begins betting on horse races and seems to always win. He only bets on the horses that he knows will win. Therefore, his Uncle Oscar also bets on whatever horse Paul bets on. Paul's goal when winning money during bets was to get his mother to pay off any debts. However, Hester began to use the money to buy expensive things to appear more rich. This causes Paul to want to win more money for his mother and he begins to obsess over the Derby that is coming up. Paul rides his rocking horse so aggressively that he was practically glowing. In the end of the story, Paul wins the big money bet from the derby and he wins eighty thousand pounds. However, Paul falls ill and dies and his mother takes the rest of the money.

"Sonny's Blues"

    Finally, we read "Sonny's Blues." This story is about a narrator remembering his younger brother, Sonny, who was recently arrested for selling and using heroin. The narrator is a teacher and starts to worry that some of his students can eventually turn out to be like Sonny. After work, the narrator meets one of Sonny's friends and learns how difficult Sonny's life has actually been. Sonny and his friends were all addicted and could not seem to escape the drug infested lifestyle. As time went on, the narrator never reached out to his brother in prison. The narrator's daughter, Grace, passes away and he writes a letter to Sonny. They stay very close until Sonny gets out of jail. After Sonny gets out, they share time together and go to their old apartment. The narrator shares stories about his father with his mother. Eventually, Sonny develops a passion for Jazz music and the narrator does not seem to believe the seriousness in this passion. Instead, he sends Sonny to college and hopes to see Sonny graduate. Sonny then joins a band and starts playing jazz music. In the end of the story, Sonny invites his brother to go to a jazz club and listen to them play.

    All four stories are connected because they symbolize how important family can be at times. Even though each story had negative aspects where the families seemed imbalanced, they always found a point where they shared genuine connection with one another. For example, in "Sonny's Blues" the narrator and Sonny do not have the best relationship. However, in the end their bond is clear and they seem to find a connection between one another that will generate a strong relationship. Once a family member feels like they can rely on another, the bond grows strong.