Hardships such as separation, divorce, and other struggles plague and have a deep impact on many contemporary families. As a result, families can become dysfunctional or sometimes even destroyed due to the overwhelming stress. The lasting effects and scars that these situations leave behind have a particularly damaging effect on children. In his The Prince of Tides, Pat Conroy so vividly illustrates the effects that these adversities bring on families.

The absence of parents appears frequently in Conroy's novel. First and foremost, there is the issue of divorce and separation. We first observe this problem appear when Tolitha leaves Amos and eventually find another husband. As a result of this, Henry, their son, became perplexed by why his mother had left. Eventually, he concludes that his father was too weak of a husband and father. As a result of his parents' separation, Henry becomes a violent and menacing husband and father. He convinced himself t

The Wingos were a family who was greatly touched by the effects of absent parents. The children were tainted by it and in Luke's case and what might have been Savannah's turn out to be fatal. Parental absence in any form whether it is divorce, separation or warring, only leads to bad outcomes and effects on the families involved.

The absence of parents in The Prince of Tides, not only takes the form of separation of parent and divorce but the constant warring between parents creates an absence as well. Henry and Lila who are the parents of Tom, Savannah and Luke, are always in conflict with each other. They fight each other on almost everything and anything. This creates a parental void, the children should be receiving love and support from their parents instead are left to fend for themselves and have to deal with stressful domestic conflicts. This helped lead to Savannah's mental illness and her suicidal tendencies. Tom came to side with his mother and have great trepidation towards his father

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 677
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)