Family

Both thematically and narratively, the drama of this story is structured around Janet’s family relationships, giving specific focus to the personal and emotional significance generated by the disconnects that occur in these relationships. For example, the central relationship in the narrative is between Janet and her father, and in the trying time of her father’s hospitalization, Janet often struggles to overcome certain personal barriers between herself and her father. Janet and her father both appear to be generally stoic and not inclined towards effusive demonstrations of affection. Some of her father’s main traits are “his independence, his self-sufficiency” (220), and although those are useful traits, they make it somewhat difficult for him to graciously accept Janet’s emotional support. Janet and her father experience moments of tension, such as when the father implicitly criticizes Janet’s divorce. However, Janet’s fidelity as a daughter...