Running In The Family Analysis

Entry #13 – Running in the Family:
Rather than being a memoir, this book is a blend between a memoir and fiction. There is no way for us to tell what did and did not happen. Some events that take place seem to be fiction and others appear to be real. There are them some memories that seem to have elements of fiction mixed in. The line between fiction and reality in this book is constantly blurred so that we don’t really know whether or not the events that took place are real or made up. I like this style of writing as it forces you to evaluate the events that are happening and decide for yourself if it could have happened or not.
Entry #14 – Running in the Family:
When we hear of marriage we think of it as something that will last a long time and as something concrete. In this book, however, marriage is seemingly fleeting and the people on the island don’t really value marriage at all. Engagements can be made and broken in a matter of days or even hours and if one engagement doesn’t work out they just switch to someone else. It seems that they are the “free-flowing” type who are only true to their desires since they also have lovers even though they are married. The marriages in the book also do not last long as the case with Michael’s own parents.

Entry #15 – Running in
Mervyn is being compared to Gloucester as the father who is self-destructive who never really knew his own son. Michael is being compared to Edgar as the loyal son who remains devoted to his father even when he was essentially thrown away by him. Michael tried to rehabilitate his father much like how Edgar tried to teach Gloucester about suicide by pretending to help Gloucester jump off a cliff. Another comparison is that in King Lear Edgar feels close to his father and is distraught by his suffering but never reveals to his father who he really is this shows the distance between Michael and his own father despite their