Grandfather Macleod Passes On Traits To Ewan example essay topic

THE RELENTLESS STRUGGLE- In A Bird in the House, Margaret Laurence develops many patterns common throughout her collection of short stories. Among these themes is the passing of character traits from one generation to another. Many of the characters develop characteristics demonstrated by their predecessors. For example, Piquette inherits traits from her family, Ewan from his father and Vanessa from her grandfather.

Whether Piquette Tonnerre chooses to be a product of her environment or not, her family has a strong influence on her character as society's scapegoat disallows her to attain any other identity. One inheritance is her fowl mouth. Expected to care for her father, Piquette's education is sporadic and her interest in school-work negligible. This leaves Piquette to learn broken English from the Tonnerres which is full of obscenities. Evident early in life at the age of fourteen, Piquette tells Vanessa she doesn t know what the hell [she is] talking about by Jesus. Years later Piquette refers to the women of Manawaka as old bitches an biddies.

Appearing to be trapped on the wrong side of town as a dead loss half-breed, Piquette attempts to escape her circumstances. She travels from Saskatoon to Winnipeg for years only coming back to Manawaka to marry a white man. Referring to her fianc's name as classy, Piquette speaks with an anticipation of being happy and successful, proving society wrong. Her marriage proves to be no better than that of her parents. As a single mother of two infants, Piquette is forced to return to the same sheds she grew up in.

Piquette's grandfather, Jules Tonnerre, had built the sheds in Manawaka to live in temporarily many years ago. He was unable to escape his impoverish life just as Piquette is trapped in hers. The Tonnerres would often get mixed up a in Saturday-night brawl, and would hit out at whoever was nearest, or howl drunkenly. After Piquette's marriage fails and she returns to Manawaka, she too ends up in court a few times-drunk and disorderly, of course. Piquette and her children die in Manawaka, as a result of the characteristics she attains from her family. Grandfather MacLeod passes on traits to Ewan.

Although Grandfather MacLeod dies prior to A Bird in the House, hints of his character are learned through Ewan. Granfather MacLeod became a doctor because his father was a doctor. Ewan believes that his father might have wanted to be a classical scholar. Ewan became trapped in the expectations of others.

Though all [he] wanted to do was go into the merchant marine, Ewan became a doctor like his father. Both Ewan and his father restricted to the limitations of Manawaka and unable to explore the world like their free spirits sought. Ewan believes that Grandfather MacLeod must have been a lonely man. Ewan too is lonely as he strives for the affection of his mother.

Grandmother MacLeod speaks very highly of her deceased son, Roderick. When he died, she feared [she] would die too. She pays little attention to Ewan. This has an isolating effect, similar to how Granfather MacLeod must have felt.

Ewan grew to become isolated, lonely and restrained by other people's expectations just as his father had been. Vanessa grew to become Grandfather Connor. Grandfather Connor often recoils to basement, his den, to escape his family. Vanessa as a child hides away in the many nooks and crannies of her home. Affection and emotionless, Grandfather Connor wears his bear-skinned jacket. Vanessa too keeps her emotions behind a mask, as to avoid being rejected.

Vanessa also inherits her work ethics from her Grandfather. As a child Vanessa says, I did now know then the real torment that the day of rest was for [Grandfather Connor]. Connor is always fixing this and that and is never at rest. Later in life Vanessa returns to Manawaka for the last time to see her predecessor's monuments.

After seeing the grave of her parents she drives by Grandfather Connor's brick house, acknowledging that this home was his monument. Pointing out the work that needs done on the home, she realizes her work ethics replicate her Grandfather. It is evident that Vanessa has become her Grandfather in many respects and she admits, [she] had feared and fought the old man, yet he proclaimed himself in [her] veins. Many characteristics are inherited from one generation of Laurence's characters to the next. Piquette became her father, mother and Grandfather. She died product of her environment.

Ewan was isolated and lonely as his father was. Vanessa became the man she feared and fought for so many years. These characters did not choose the people they became. They were trapped in that identity and despite the relentless struggle, they could be identified by their previous generation..