preview

Emotional Neglect In 'Soldier's Home'

Decent Essays

drowning. But there was no one there to rescue her (Kercheval). The effects of emotional neglect leaves a lasting impact. As the wife in “Carpathia” is unloved by her husband, and Krebs in “Soldier’s Home” is lacking the affection and emotional attention from his father, it is evident that the demeanor of both characters is severely devastated. Imagine being told to your face by your significant other in a time of crisis that your life, nor the life of your unborn child is not worth saving. It is understood that the male is supposed to be the protector of the family. In this case, the husband would much rather save himself with the defense that “men can marry, have new families” (Kercheval). Abandonment, neglect, and estrangement are the emotions …show more content…

There is usually a reason behind the actions of someone who has the tendency to be sexually impure. Whether society believes those reasons to be justifiable or not, is beside the point. Psychology then uses its theories and attachment styles to attempt to put the pieces together, to further identify the causes and effects of an individual’s actions. Two possibilities come to mind when studying the main character of Minot’s “Lust.” The first option is that she could have had parents that were too strict on her, which inevitably led to a rebellious stage, defying not only her parents, but also societal norms and expectations. According to Erika Packard, teenage rebellion is an effect of social anxiety and impulsivity. During adolescents, especially the teenage years, it is very common for impetuous decisions and rebellious attitudes. Assuming that her parents might have been religious, her actions may be a form of resistance as a way to seek …show more content…

The permissive parenting style is when there is a lack of discipline. In the case of “Lust,” it seems as though the mother is more interested in playing the role of a friend, rather than a parent. This type of parenting style leads to a lack of self-control and maturity in the child (Cherry). How does this relate to love? As mentioned before, it is very difficult for a person to love when they do not know what it feels like to be loved. With the absence of her parents, or any parental figures, the main character does not understand what it feels like to be loved by a parent. When this occurs, it is very likely that a female (especially without a father figure) would seek love in the wrong places, in this case from other male figures. That is exactly the case in Susan Minot’s “Lust.”
Detached from love, being the “unloved”, and not knowing how to seek or expel love are all problems that are relevant to the lives of many. Through the plot of Ernest Hemingway’s “Soldier’s Home,” Jesse Lee Kercheval’s “Carpathia,” and Susan Minot’s “Lust,” it is evident that love and its psychology plays a major role in one’s self worth and ability to love and accept it in

Get Access