Throughout literature, past and present, the theme of the father-son relationship is prevalent amongst novels. This relationship is also evident within the novels Tuesdays with Morrie, written by Mitch Albom, and A Millions Little Pieces, written by James Frey. Although within the two novels the fathers are not the biological fathers of the heroes, they are fathers in the sense they help the heroes journey. By means of this relationship, there is a giving of advice and the giving of guidance from the fathers.
As with this theme, there is respect for the father figures by the sons resulting in an open relationship between the fathers and the sons. The father-son relationship is a journey that is filled of growth and fulfillment. Respect is seen in A Million Little Pieces when James's parents meet him at the facility where he is being taken care of for his weaknesses. However, when they do arrive, he doesn't want to see them for obvious reasons: he hasn't told them about his life for the past decade or so.
He also feels uncontrollably angry whenever he sees them.As much as James is overwhelmed with fury when he sees his parents, they are equally overwhelmed by a completely different set of emotions: guilt, sadness, confusion, etc. With his parent's arrival also comes the opening of several other previously closed doors. His relationship with Lilly is suddenly out in the open, and Miles, a fine, upstanding citizen, reveals himself to be no better than James - he is as much as an alcoholic as any other criminal in the facility.
When James tells his parents the story of his addiction, he is in essence giving himself another chance to regroup.By telling his parents everything about his life that had occurred for the last decade, he is in fact struggling to keep his anger in control and trying to give his parents as much information as he can, since he feels very clearly that he's lied to them for far too long and does not want to continue this pattern. Respect through the father-son relationship is also seen in the book Tuesdays with Moorie. In nearly every chapter of the book, Mitch flashes back to his days at Brandeis University.
These flashbacks provide a clear picture of Mitch during his youth, a picture that openly contrasts the money-hungry businessman he has grown to be in his adulthood. The flashbacks also help to explain why Mitch feels compelled to see his professor, as he knows that he can help him to regain the goodness and faith he possessed during his college years. Also important is the background information that the flashbacks provide about the relationship between Moorie and Mitch prior to Mitch's adult conversation.Thus, the reader is able to contrast their former relationship with the one they have regenerated.
In the flashback to his graduation, Mitch's feelings of love and admiration for Moorie are unmistakable. It is clear that the two men have shared a unique relationship, which is gradually revealed in the flashbacks. The tears Moorie sheds when Mitch gives him the briefcase indicate his shameless emotion, which intensifies with the onset of his disease. Moorie is a man who embraces emotion instead of stifling it, and throughout the book, he encourages Mitch to do the same.
The briefcase itself is a symbolic of the rare relationship that Mitch and Moorie share. Their relationship has transcended the typical professor-student relationship, which is normally distant and professional, to become an intimate, loving friendship. Through this relationship, respect for each others feelings, thoughts, opinions, and ideas are appreciated as they would be with a true father-son connection. Another aspect that is present between both these books is the sense of guidance given by the father figures in each book.In A Million Little Pieces, the visiting with his parents has brought James closer to the cliff from which he's only begun to retreat. The fury comes back each day now, and where, only a short while ago, he could find calm in himself simply by focusing on the good things in his life, he now must revert to such ghastly acts as ripping off his own toenail to make the fury go away.
Within this section of the book is the positive turning point for James, however. He participates in the Family Program with none of the sarcasm that is evident in the first half of the book.When the time comes for him to hold hands with everyone in the group meeting, he does so without a single protest. James also voices out loud how awful it is for him finally to be able to see himself as others see him. He says that he sees himself as a monster and that he is utterly ashamed and embarrassed for his parents.
Being put in an institution where the victim's problems are supposed to be healed is truly showing the guidance from the father figures and with the participation with James in the Family Program shows guidance and the true feelings of care and love for his son.Guidance is also shown in Tuesdays with Moorie when Moorie's personality is further revealed when Mitch relays the story of his former professor's wild nights at "Dance Free" in Harvard Square. Moorie is an old man with an exceptionally youthful, enduring spirit, which preserves throughout his illness and will play a key role in his Tuesday lessons with Mitch. When the body that contains Moorie's youthful spirit is prescribed an expiration date by medical professionals, Moorie surely feels as if a part of him as been killed, as he can no longer enjoy even dancing, his long-time favourite hobby.
Upon learning of his illness, Moorie wonders why the world does not stop and acknowledge his illness. He is perturbed at the sight of men and women going about their daily routine, namely because his routine has been capped. Life as he knows it is essentially over, and the story that follows tells of how Moorie copes with his own death sentence. Moorie is a very honest man, and throughout the book, must rely on his friends, family, and aides to do nearly everything from him, even the most personal necessities, such as undressing, which Tony must do for him in the pool locker room.Despite this dependency, Moorie is not embarrassed as it shows that due to his illness, guidance from other individuals to complete is routine tasks are mandatory in order to ensure that his daily schedules flow without interruptions. One final aspect that is apparent in both of these books is the idea of advice giving.
In A Million Little Pieces, James and his parents reach several milestones, but probably the most important is James's willingness to initiate the physical contact with them. He says he can feel the fury rising but quells it.James is learning that instant gratification is perhaps not a part of the solution. He also feels a small sense of joy when he initiates contact with his parents. He seems also surprised to discover that this act creates an immediate sense of family.
The entire time he was looking for something, it was right there all along. All he had to do was give in a little and accept some help from those who were closest to him. Another important step is James's decision to hide his friends and his girlfriend from his parents.He makes a conscience effort to disclose everything about his current life, telling them that his best friend is some sort of mobster, that his other friends are crackheads and drunks, and that his girlfriend is a pill-popper and former prostitute. He finds that his parents are more concerned with whether his friends are nice people and whether he loves his girlfriend. This knowledge is refreshing, and it gives James the capability to be more honest with them as time goes on and as they begin to mine the important parts of his life.
By letting out everything on his mind to his parents, he will now be able to receive advice from his councillors as well as his parents without taking it as severe criticism and this will be beneficial to him in the future as it will help to reshape his life. Advice and recommendation is also seen in Tuesdays with Moorie. Throughout the book, we see Mitch as a character, and how he has transformed from an ambitious, hopeful young man into a money- grubbing professional who has abandoned his long-harboured dreams for financial security.It is clear that Mitch feels disconnected with the man he was in his youth, but desperately wants to re-establish a connection with his forgotten dreams and values.
Mitch had abandoned his dreams at a very vulnerable period in his life, as he had grown increasingly discouraged by his failure playing the nightclub circuit, and to compound his disillusionment, had lost his favourite uncle, to whom he was very close. More than any other factor, it is his uncle's death that Mitch finds the most disturbing, and from then on sees life as a race to beat the clock, sucking dry every moment of life to win money and power in the business world.Mitch feels helpless as he watches his uncle die slowly and painfully of cancer, and yearns for some sense of control in his own life, which he eventually gains when he adopts a steady work routine and gains financial security, two perks absent from his piano touring days. Mitch's relationship to his uncle is comparable to his relationship with Morrie, in that they have both affected his general outlook on life. However, it is vital to notice the difference between the two men and Mitch's reaction to each of their lifestyles.
Mitch makes a conscious and earnest effort to be as unlike his uncle as he can possibly be, opting for various jobs in various locales so that he may avoid the terrible monotony of corporate life he had seen his uncle suffer through. However, Mitch does say that he models himself after his uncle, as he models himself after Morrie. Both men come across as kind and giving and both have shaped Mitch as a person. In his reunion with Morrie, though, he realizes that by trying not to live the life his uncle had led, he has only done himself harm.He has immersed himself in work, not love, and is therefore unsatisfied. Seeking happiness in love versus seeking happiness in money serves as one of Morrie's most important lessons, as it is repeated numerous times throughout the book.
After comparing both these books with strict and effective examples from each of the novels, A Million Little Pieces written by James Frey, and Tuesdays with Moorie, written Mitch Albom, it is evident that the father-son relationship was prevalent throughout both stories.This father-son relationship was a helpful source to the main characters of each book and their journeys. There was the giving of advice and the giving of guidance from the fathers. As with this theme, there is respect for the father figures by the sons, which easily creates an open relationship between the two members. The father-son relationship is a journey that is filled of growth and fulfillment and it was evident between both of these novels.
