The Unbreakable Bond In American Horse By Louise Erdrich

The author Wes Moore’s father dies at a young age and his mother Joy does her best to keep her son out of trouble. She works multiple jobs to send him to a nice private school once they move to

A mother and a child. A love that transcends no bounds. To give up a child leaves a hole that nothing can fill. An empty abyss. In the heat of the moment, the mother is convinced that she is doing right by the child. Giving that child a life that they themselves will not be able to give. It hurts to leave, but they know deep down, that the sacrificing of their happiness for the child’s well-being is what is best. In the photograph Mother and child by Jerome Liebling, the mother stands, child in arms, before the steps. Before the steps of giving up the one piece of joy she has in her life. Holding a blank expression on her face, trying not to show any emotion as it would only make what she is about to do harder. She is tired, worn down by the weight of the world. Contemplating what she is about to do, although she knows it will not help.

When a child experiences trauma, it stays with them for the rest of their life. When a child experiences abuse, one of the highest forms of trauma, they can do little to stop it from affecting everything they do. Tobias Wolff’s memoir, This Boy’s Life, Illustrates this. While it can be said that Rosemary, the mother of Jack, was in many ways responsible for his life, she herself can not solely be blamed. The trauma and abuse she experienced as a child contributed greatly to her choices, and her son’s life. This shows that adversity in Rosemary’s life lead to her not being able to act normally, and this caused the life of her son.

This is a book about love -- not only human love for an animal, but the love of a parent for a child, a man for his home, and a special love between two animals. Billy's family is extremely close-knit. His mother teaches Billy and his two sisters to read and write because the school is too far away, and when he turns eleven. Billy's father lets him help out in the fields. To complete the happy nest. Grandpa lives right down the road, and has the family over every Sunday afternoon for supper. There is security in this atmosphere of love. After leaving home for three days to pick up the puppies, Billy's mother breaks down and cries at his return -- this is punishment enough for Billy, and he

“Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman are two stories that reveal the consequences of individual suffering. These consequences include estranging relationships, bitter behavior, and even illness, addiction, or death. Throughout each of these stories, Sonny and John’s wife, known as the narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper”, continue to suffer due to John’s and Sonny’s brother’s, known as the narrator of “Sonny’s Blues”, failure to meet obligations and familial compassion. Neither the narrator in “Sonny’s Blues” nor the husband, John, in “The Yellow Wallpaper” serve as the villains of the stories, however, I believe we are able to see how both their inabilities to effectively

Friendships tend to change over time, for better or worse. This is illustrated in Toni Morrison’s short story Recititaf. The relationships of Twyla and Roberta are a rollercoaster from the moment they meet at the orphanage, to their confrontational meeting at the Howard Johnsons, to the picketing during segregation, until the end when they try and sort things out. One of the ways to show the rocky relationship of the two is through their dialog when they discuss their mothers.

Marie values the affection and tenderness that were absent in the relationship between her and her mother. Therefore, she is insistent on being a caring and supportive presence in her children’s life. In addition, Marie is also hypersensitive to relationships that do not appear to embody her impression of family. This is apparent in Marie’s reaction to Callie’s treatment of Bo. Saunders states, “He rose to a sitting position, railed against the chain, whipped it back and forth, crawled to the water…took a drink: a drink from a dog’s bowl” (176). Marie’s description of Bo alludes to her own childhood. Marie was locked in a closet as a child, like a caged animal; consequently, when Marie compares Bo to a dog, she unconsciously references her own childhood trauma. She identifies Bo as a helpless child, like herself, and sees the cruelty of her own mother in Callie. Therefore, Marie’s narrative is not a concrete, unbiased description of what happened; instead, Marie’s perception is partial to her past experiences. On the contrary, the short story’s second narrator, Callie, views the same event from a altered standpoint.

In Junot Diaz’s short story “Wildwood,” many may argue that Lola’s mother Belicia deserved admiration for her subconscious overprotection and love for Lola that she portrays in an uncaring, despicable manner and especially because of her strong, independent fight against breast cancer. However, I think that Lola’s mother was unadmirable due to her lack of support, her weak role as a mother, and primarily because of her constant verbal and physical abuse that she bestowed upon her children.

The relationship of brothers usually lasts forever, but in Louise Erdrich’s short story “The Red Convertible”, the relationship of the main characters Lyman and Henry takes a turn. Erdrich takes her audience through the experiences these brothers face and how they must come to terms that their relationship has changed. Knowing that it will most likely never be the same both Lyman and Henry try to fix their relationship until eventually one falls because of the experiences he faced in life. While Lyman may think the red convertible will save his and Henry’s relationship, Erdrich makes it clear that it will not through the characterization of the brothers, the plot of the story, and the symbolism she uses to tell her story.

To ease one’s pain, humans will do anything to escape the negative emotions they feel, even if it is not healthy. In the novel Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese, he effectively shows how Saul faces a journey of undoing years of isolation after his traditions and values are ignored by St. Jeromes, a residential school. This experience causes him a large amount of emotional pain. Therefore, Saul copes with his problems by escaping reality itself so he does not need to dwell on his negative emotions.

Danielle Evans’ short story, “Someone Ought to Tell Her There’s Nowhere to Go”, is a well-crafted narrative that is primarily based off a character named Georgie, who suffers from PTSD and faces many hardships in his personal life as he tries to build a relationship with his former girlfriend Lanae, and her daughter Esther. Evans successfully uses literary elements such as symbolism and foreshadowing in order to effectively appeal to the reader and explain how Georgie is struggling in his new lifestyle. These aspects further help to magnify Evans ethical and emotional appeal to her audience.

No matter the era, location, or even times of the darkest personal conflict, the power of love tends to always prevail. The power behind the love of family in particular seems to be the greatest. Despite the differences in the relationships, the deep bond of brotherhood in “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin shares some of the same levels of devotion that is present in “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty which is about the arduous trek a grandmother endures for her grandson. Although the stories differ in certain areas, both “Sonny’s Blues” and “A Worn Path” emphasizes the dedication one has both emotionally and physically and the importance of family bonds when someone they love encounters challenging and life threatening times by the displays of devotion to help the ones they love.

suffers horribly so that the rest can be happy” (Brooks). The child’s pain and loneliness is a

The bond between a mother and child is often spoken of as being unlike any other. Yet there are always exceptions to the rule where this connection isn 't as impenetrable as one might assume. This book is an example of this bond gradually becoming weaker over time. It shows how it affects the child, Bone, and leaves her vulnerable to the abuse of her step-father. Bone’s mother, Anney, had fallen in love with a man who abused her which at first, she’s unaware but eventually comes to realize but still chooses to stay with him. Throughout the book there are instances of Anney’s negligence in recognizing her daughter’s abuse and being of aid to her but wasn 't. In having to deal with her

    The maternal bond between mother and kin is valued and important in all cultures.  Mothers and children are linked together and joined: physically, by womb and breast; and emotionally, by a sense of self and possession.  Once that bond is established, a mother will do anything for her child.  In the novel Beloved, the author, Toni Morrison, describes a woman, Sethe, who's bond is so strong she goes to great lengths to keep her children safe and protected from the evil that she knows.  She gave them the gift of life, then, adding to that, the joy of freedom.  Determined to shield them from the hell of slavery, she took drastic measures to keep them from that life.  But, in doing so, the