The Importance Of Family Roles In My Definition Of Family

Family as a social institution might have a responsibility to support the member to grow in the society. In addition to that, family ties created bond between each member inside which could set meaningful tradition in the ‘house’ (Padmanabhan). In this case, family might be the fellow who brought one to social and economic problems then become the fellow who also might help to resolve. The family tradition which had been living inside the house might be very influential to each member who grows inside the house. The concept of understanding social and economic problems could be considered based on how one is treated in the family. 

On the other hand, family could be believed as the most important aspect to construct every event included in plot. It is not only the family role in the work, but also the family role of the author might be very influential. Connecting it to the theory that is used in this passage, Marxist criticism, family condition and culture lead each member inside it to one step further problem outside the house, socio-economic problem. The association between two aspects build strong and interesting cause-effect plot line. As family played an important role in most literary works, Siddhartha through Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse and Sethe through Beloved by Toni Morison might also compromised with socio-economic problems which unconsciously brought by their family. Siddhartha as the first work to be examined, is considered to be unusual literary piece. By reading Siddhartha, the audience is brought to the adventure of self-discovery spiritually, physically, and materially. However, if the cause of self-discovery is viewed deeper, it could be found that Siddhartha’s desire to start the search was because he did not satisfy to what happened in his house. Furthermore, it was undeniable that Siddhartha was good and kind man of the village that he got the prince title (Hesse). He got supportive family materially and spiritually.

Siddhartha was thus loved by everyone. He was a source of joy for everybody, he was a delight for them all. But he, Siddhartha, was not a source of joy for himself, he found no delight in himself. (Hesse)Meanwhile, this safe family of Sidhartha happened to be one of the highest classes of Indian kaste led him to find out what happened outside his comfort zone. It could be considered as when the socio-economic problems Siddhartha must-faced began. Considering Tyson in his book stated that people might live by the things they own, Siddhartha started to be no one important as he walked out of home (Tyson). Siddhartha walked out of home without carrying any material values. By he started his journey to be Samana, a community who did not depend on material values. 

The other socio-economic problem Siddhartha should be dealt with was when he met Kamala who often saw a person by their material condition before their social, political activities, or even education. Here, Siddhartha must faced new phase of Marxism issues he would never found at home as he was not seen as the prince from high kaste of society anymore. Siddhartha chased Kamala and worked under Marxist concept due to his sexual desire to Kamala. Even though, the end of the story could lead the audience to the understanding that Siddhartha had decided to leave his materialistic life and turned out to be someone who appreciates life further than material and physical presence. However, his thoughts, attitudes, and behavior which had constructed at home helped him through the socio-economic problems he discovered during the story. What Siddhartha carried when he left home was only his behavior, knowledge, and strong curiosity which could be considered to have been built by the culture happened in his house with his parents. Here, the power of family role in Siddhartha plot line is proven by Siddhartha’s survival during his journey. On the other hand, Beloved turned to emotional literary work through harsh factual slavery issues which is introduced to be the prior theme. The main character, Sethe, experienced concrete classes classification in the society where she was degraded due to her African American race. 

During the era, African-American lived under uncomfortable situation without definite family members and perception of home. In addition to that, the concept of family that might be the institution which introduce, help, and probably cause the problems that must be compromised in lifetime could be also applicable. Sethe as the real example of woman with no mother-figure and family figure yet must be mother-figure to her children and responsible to them during her escape while still dealing with great depression due to the evil classification of race during the time. Regarding the racial classification, ‘white people’ at the time was considered as the capitalist, community who control the industry and manipulate humanity in order to fulfil their needs in economic materialism (Barry). This community build the social perception of racial degradation event such as made the African-American people as slave who also be commodity and earned material values as it is written in the book;Pregnant every year including the year she sat by the fire telling him she was going to run. Her three children she had already packed into a wagonload of others in a caravan of Negroes crossing the river. (Morrison)Capitalism and racial classification reconstructed family function to the member of society. The shocking event was when she killed her own child which was supposedly caused by racial colonialism during the era. It could be believed that Sethe did the evil action in order to protect her child while also due to dysfunction of family. 

Meanwhile, Sethe was not like Siddhartha who faced the problem by his family condition, yet Sethe experienced problematic depressing social situation where she never find family role to help her escape. Consequently, the presence of family became very influential in the work if it is seen from the fatale impact Sethe experienced living without family figure. Regarding the modified definition of family, the definition is not always revolved around institution of parents and siblings. On the other hand, family definition is lately turning to a group of people who create comfortable sense, supportive ambience, and construct ‘home’ as a place to come back to each other. Moreover, this modified definition might not be applicable to the analysis done in the previous paragraphs which emphasize family function as the strongest foundation and main cause of personal socio-economic problems. All in all, family creates the strong bond between people who called each other ‘home’. Besides, the strong bond would build certain culture among a group of people. This customate cultural in family might be considered to still become the strongest foundation and probable causes of socio-economic problems surround them. As A Reader’s Guide to Contemporary Literary Theory explained in Marxist theory chapter, culture might not stand alone that it must be constructed by reality, historical condition, and particular phase in human lifetime in order to create material live (Selden et al.). Thus, the socio-economic problems might still come to one toward cultural condition happened around which most probably created by the closest people, might be defined as family. The concept is that the closest people might be the most potential cause of the problem but also the best supporter during the problem. More precisely, the culture developed between the people who lived as family might help to compromise with the problem. 

Finally, family which consisted of the closest circle of people might created particular custom that became a culture, product of social interaction, between each member. Moreover, this human product actualized bond which foundating the member to face the concrete reality such as socio-economic situation. The strong bond is predicted to have the possibility to be boomerang to the family member as it became the cause of the socio-economic problems regarding the perspective of material values or could be the best supporter to drag out from the socio-economic problem. In Siddhartha,the main character found the socio-economic problem after he came out of the comfortable house. Siddhartha survived his adventurous journey by his willing to accept the process and his previous knowledge built in his parent’s house. Meanwhile, Sethe in Beloved found depressing way in compromising socio-economic problems around her. Most probably those were due to the racial classification which degraded her race and prevent her from being able to have complete healthy family. In the case, socio-economic problem was not coming from the family but Sethe undeniably found it very difficult to compromise with the problem without family figure in her life. Based on two interpretations done in both Siddhartha and Beloved, family figure took an important role as the characters experienced their journey in the plot line. All in all, it could be believed that family as the closest fellow is carrying the most important role in constructing one’s behavior in order to support the unconscious mind in compromising with socio-economic problems outside the ‘home’ which family provided.