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Analysis Of Dinner At The Homesick Restaurant

Decent Essays

The Reward of The Journey
In Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, Anne Tyler tells a story of the dysfunctional Tull family, being made up of Ezra, Cody, Jenny, and Pearl their mother. Pearl is the definition of a perfectionist, and her husband, Beck, abandons her when Cody, the oldest of the three, is only fourteen years old. This leaves Pearl the responsibility, as well as the stress, of supporting all three children on her own. The lack of father figure in the family affects all members of the Tull household somewhat differently, each displaying their own unique struggles and issues. Most of Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant consists of each character resolving this issue, healing from being hurt, and growing as individuals. Ezra’s …show more content…

Of the few interactions Ezra has with others, the relationship Ezra maintains with his mother is one that he does a great deal of healing and development from. While his siblings went on with their lives, moving out and starting families of their own, Ezra instead did the exact opposite, choosing instead to stay at home with his mother and continue to watch over his restaurant. With this we see that Pearl, Ezra’s mother, is one of the few people in his life that we feels truly close and connected to. Although he does not display his affection nor compassion for Pearl outright, we see in Ezra that he values his mother more than anyone he knows.

The deep connection Ezra has with his mother illustrates why his greatest moment of healing takes place through her. In her old age, Pearl at times relies on Ezra to be there to aid her in living out the rest of her life. What she did not need nor ask of Ezra is to make the limited time that she has left meaningful and memorable, nor did she ask of Ezra to bring her happiness. It is through Pearl’s writings of her everyday life that Ezra comes to realize that he not only was there for his mother in her time of need, but made a positive impact on her life in the process. All the time Ezra spent talking to his mother, helping her and simply never leaving her side, went unnoticed to Ezra that it was giving her life meaning. Ezra sees through the impact he has on his

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