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Parent-Child Relationship

Children and their parents should have relationships, which are positive. This means that a lot of effort and work should be employed, in order to ensure that the relationship is successful as well as strong. The job of being a parent is extremely tough, and this means that it should be maintained. Communication is essential in this relationship as it promotes openness and closeness. In some child –parent relationships, there is a problem of distance, which affects the relationship negatively. Also, varying opinions is another reason why child –parent relationships are affected (Madden, 2011).

This paper seeks to give an analysis of the relationship between son’s and fathers in two different readings. Also, it seeks to ensure that the source of conflict in these relationships is known.

Analysis of relationships between sons and their fathers

John Chever is the author of ‘Reunion’ and it is about a son and father who met after a long time. Charlie has the urge to meet his father and arranges for them to meet. The reunion took place in New York after Charlie is in transit, so that he can get a train to take him to his destination. Before they meet, Charlie is anxious as his father is a stranger. This shows that despite being apart from each other they long to reunite. According to Charlie, his natural instincts were ignited upon seeing his father “I felt that he was my father, my flesh and blood (Madden, 2011)”. This means that Charlie loved his father and was proud that he has such a father. Upon seeing his father, he was extremely happy to the point whereby, he cherished the moment they spent together. Charlie even wished that a photo of them would have been taken as it was an extremely joyous occasion.

The meeting between the two is not memorable as they kept on moving to different locations. The lunch they were meant to have never occurred. The admiration, which Charlie had for his father seems to fade away. It seems that he will not want to remember the reunion as he was not pleased by the events that took place. Later on, Charlie comments that since the meeting, he has never seen his father. Parents are meant to be good examples to their children, but in this reunion, it was not possible. Charlie’s father’s behavior was not one, which can be emulated. Upon reading about this reunion, one feels like Charlie became disappointed with his father, who did not connect well with him. The conflict in this reunion is that the two have grown apart, thus in order to be at ease with each other, would need more time together (Madden, 2011).

Chinua Achebe is the author of ‘Marriage is a private affair’. It is about the relationship between a father and son, who are disagreeing about marriage issues. The setting is in Nigeria and the son’s name is Nnaemeka. The conflict is that Nnaemeka has chosen the girl he wants to marry, while his father has done the same for him. According to the Nigerian society, it is a taboo to marry people from different communities. This is the reason why there is conflict between Nnaemeka and his father. Before the conflict began, they had a respectable relationship. According to Nnaemeka’s fiancée, “your father is proud of you (Madden, 2011)” .The relationship is different than that of Charlie and the father. In both readings, the sons placed a lot of admiration for their fathers. According to them, a father is a role model as well as a good example.

Nnaemeka did not want to disappoint his father and at the same time wanted to please him. According to Nnaemeka’s father, the wife he had chosen for his son was ideal. The son valued his father and thus had to consult with him on important matters such as marriage. After the father realized that his son will not marry the wife chosen for him, their relationship is affected greatly, the father distances himself to the point whereby, they do not talk. Upon Nnaemeka’s wedding, he sends a photo only for his father to send it back. Making matters worse, his father ensures that Nnaemeka’s picture is mutilated. Despite all the things that the father has done, Nnaemeka still believes that his father will be more accommodating to the marriage (Madden, 2011). He says that “he is essentially good-natured and will one day look more kindly on our marriage (Madden, 2011)”. The latter came to being as after some time, Nnaemeka’s father changed his attitude after receiving a letter. He was overwhelmed by the fact that he could die without ever seeing his grandchildren. This shows that he loved his son and nothing would separate them, even distance. This relationship between son and father is better as compared to Charlie’s. The latter have no chance of having a relationship as everyone is engrossed in their own matters.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the relationship between children and parents should be positive. The relationship of Nnaemeka and his father has shown that parents will always have a soft spot for their children. Charlie’s relationship with his dad is not a good one, as it seems that they have grown apart due to distance. Thus, more should be done to ensure that children and their parents have admirable relationships.

Work Cited

Madden, Frank .The Exploring Literature: Writing and Thinking about Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the Essay. 5th Ed. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2011. Print.