Dinner at Homesick Restaurant
As the supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines events, fate has an overwhelming control over people. Even though "...everything has been assigned, has been preordained; [and] everyone must play his role," nothing has been set in stone (185). In a way, fate is like a maui mixer smoothie. No matter which way the strawberries, pineapples, orange sherbet, ice, and guava juice are thrown in the blender, it still ends up being the same smoothie. Same goes with a person's fate. The final destination has already been chosen, but the path paving the way is still up in the air. In her novel Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, Anne Tyler portrays a character who shuts herself away from society, gives up on her life, and is a bad mother simply because she believes that it's fate and her life is destined to be that way.Pearl Tull is a strong-willed, independent woman. She believes she doesn't need anyone else and that her family is enough. "When the neighbors showed up, people she knew more closely, she felt she way dying inside but she didn't lose her composure" (15). Pearl puts on a facade of toughness for everyone else to see which isolates her from the rest of society. But by doing that, she
Fate is already predetermined but that doesn't mean a person can't live it the way they want. Each person is given choices, but Pearl Tull opts not to take them. She gives up on trying to change her life and lives it the way it is handed to her. "...From infancy, [Cody] had batted her away; and [Jenny] had been so evasive, somehow; so whom did that leave but Ezra? Ezra was all she had. He was the only one who would let her in" (171). Because she believes that fate has really only given her Ezra, she favors him the most and that is absolutely apparent. This hurts Cody the most because he is also her son, yet she doesn't pay much attention to him. Since Ezra is Pearl's perfect son, what else can Cody do but be the complete opposite to get some attention from his mother? "Certainly she never intended to foster one of those good son/bad son arrangements, but what can you do when one son is consistently good and the other consistently bad?" (185). She never intended it, but it happened. Parents aren't supposed to choose favorites; they are supposed to love each of their children equally and whole-heartedly. If they don't, then bitterness and resentment will most certainly arise from the children. It does and Pearl knows it, yet she does nothing to fix it. Pearl's predetermined life is
Some common words found in the essay are:
Ezra Pearl's, Pearl Tull, Hands Fate, Ezra Ezra, Anne Tyler, destined pearl, hands fate, 185 fate, pearl tull, final destination, relationship children, children pearl, life miserable, mother own,
Approximate Word count = 876
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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