The Rabbit Hole by Ann Beattie: Analysis

In the story “The rabbit hole” the author Ann Beattie, challenge us to think about the conflict among family members when dealing with an aging parent with a serious illness. As a person ages In today’s society there is a role reverse between parent and child. Children are taking care of their parents and assuming all the responsibilities and decision making about their parents health care needs. The story raises a question about family relationships among family members, more specifically the relationship between a bother and his sister, when dealing with the decision concerning what is best for their mother. The author described the way both children had a different point of view on how to deal with their mother Illness. The daughter the primary care giver drove mother to all her appointment, took time off from work. Had to deal with the choice of giving up her life when she moved back home and let the love of her life go when she “ made the mistake of not marrying “ (pg 365) her boyfriend because she was having trouble balancing her love and personal life. Tim lived in a different state showing the disconnection for the reality of what was really happening. got married and no one knew, worried about himself and his work, resented sister for not thinking of him or asking about his life. He loved his mother but did not respected her because she used to party and probably blamed him for the unhappy marriage because he could of been born as a mistake child. He wanted to place his mother on a “...cheap nursing home in Ohio” (pg 364), showing his disconnection from his mother. The brother seemed to love his sister but she did not seem to have much patient for him. I think may be she could be blaming him for the life that she was living. she might of had some sort of resentment toward him. He felt left out specially when he told her about the emergency contact the call her first because he was no where to be found. He felt out of place and a disconnection