Fatherlessness

Fatherlessness is a pertinent theme in the novel, as both Phineas and Autumn have absentee fathers. This causes them to be increasingly dependent on one another for emotional support as The Mothers have their own burdens to bear. Both children struggle with their sense of self-worth as a result of having absent fathers.

Finny, especially, craves recognition from his father, who lavishes expensive gifts on him but does nothing to foster a real bond. Autumn describes, “His disappointment when our fourth grade class looked up names in the baby name books surprised me… I did not understand then that a boy without a real father would crave an origin and a meaning” (12). Finny’s stress around his name reflects his desperation to find meaning in his unintentional conception. The older he gets, the less Finny desires his father’s love. Moreover, the car Finny’s dad...