Fall on your Knees themetic essay

A detailed Summary of Fall on your Knees themetic essay

Fall on your knees, one of the world's greatest novels, is written by Ann-Marie Macdonald who inspires many people. Macdonald is able to approach the readers using her endowed ability of writing. She uses many elements in her writing effectively to make the reader gain a more significant understanding of her works. Her endless descriptions helps readers understand complicated plots. The novel examines abnormal family bonds, birth and death, prohibited love, and dreadful secrets. Each character is pitied, sometimes hated and eventually loved. Macdonald accomplishes the presentation of a dysfunctional family through her own views and her own particular style of writing. There are many reasons for a family to be dysfunctional and there is not one definition that describes what a dysfunctional family is because each family is different in a lot of ways and families are not all dysfunctional for the same reason. In this case, the parents, James and Materia, Mercedes, and Frances have all carried with them their own essence and integrity which in many cases have destructively affected their family. James and Materia had a great negative influence on their children. The parents of the Piper family contribute in w

The lack of communication that exists between the parents helps sustain the Piper's dysfunctional family. As Materia and James started their own family, arguments and tensions started to rise between them. They had their first baby, Kathleen, around which most conflicts revolved. Not only does Materia feel ungrateful for Kathleen, she also finds it very tiring to take care of her so she hands her job over to her neighbor, Mrs. Luvovitz. James gets angry from Materia's careless action so he physically abuses her by slapping her. James is very demanding towards Materia which seems to scare Materia at times. He uses demanding phrases such as "Now feed her" and "Speak English, for Christ's sake" (Macdonald 33). He also verbally abuses her by telling her "[she's] too fat" (37). At an early stage of their relationship, the parents are not capable of functioning together. James did not appreciate Materia for who she was which also contributed in sustaining their dysfunctional family. "He didn't want people thinking he'd married a woman old enough to be his mother, for one thing. But mainly, what with Materia gone slack in mind and body, he didn't want his child stigmatized. For on top of everything else, Materia was dark" (37). James' embarrassment of Materia causes their family to function without the mother figure. Materia also realizes that James loves and treats Kathleen better than he does to her. This inappropriateness of treatment makes Materia feel very unease inside. Kathleen grows up to hate her mother and, in this case, hates the whole idea of marriage as she exclaims, "Marriage is a trap, kiddo. A great big lobster trap" (101). The parents here are perceived as a dysfunctional couple as they influence their daughter's view of marriage and her view of the interaction between men and women. Further on in the novel it is revealed that Kathleen had become a lesbian. The influence of her parents caused this despicable outcome which is a sin in their religion. The lack of understanding between James and Materia affected their children in a negative way. It forces Mercedes to be in charge of everything since she does not see anyone taking that role. When Frances gave birth to Anthony, Mercedes took the baby away thinking it was the best for Frances. Mercedes does not think of how this baby could have improved and settled Frances. Mercedes took away one of the rare chances for the family to function. Also, without taking Lily's consent, Mercedes sets a fund to collect money to heal Lily by the time she is fourteen. However, Lily reveals that she does not want to be cured. Mercedes is always thinking that she is aware of what she is doing. She does not ask for anyone's advice before she acts which shows the lack of communication in the family. Nonetheless, the lack of experience she has in life forces her to take such big decisions on her own. Mercedes becomes an obsessive Catholic, which is proven when

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Approximate Word count = 1969
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels