Kindred significantly contribute to the character, values, beliefs, identity and status of an individual. When kindred suffer loss due to divorce, illness or death of an individual the impact is felt by others. In Toni Cade Bambara’s short story, “Raymond’s Run,” the protagonist shows how she relates with her brother who was born with a medical condition. Likewise, in Anthony Veasna So’s writeup, “Three Women of Chuck’s Donuts,” Sothy’s choice of enterprise is strongly influenced by her ex-husband. In as much as a person may strive to live elder independently and make choices, the relatives have significant contribution to lifestyle and decisions.
The objective of this paper is to compare the influence that troubled family member has to the rest of the relatives as implied in So’s and Bambara’s short story. Although an individual may desire to have personal achievement and lifestyle, the presence of one family member who is sick may disrupt the dreams and visions of others.
If one member of the family is disabled, the rest of the relatives are bound to be worried. In “Raymonds Run”, Squeaky is always concerned about her elder brother who “needs looking after cause he’s not quite right. And a lot of smart mouths got lots to say…” (Bambara 1).
Squeaky’s job is to take care of Raymond since the brother is mentally ill and may either run into traffic, interfere with affairs of other people, or be bullied. Resultantly, Squeaky is always perturbed when her brother is out of her sight. Similarly, in So’s narrative, Tevy and Kayley are always anxious about their mother who is a workaholic. In one of their conversations, Kayley suggests that, “Mom should start smoking,” so that she can rest (So 8). Cigarettes are thought of as a solution to the anxious and depressed mother. The fact that the two sisters are thinking about the health of their mother indicate that they are also affected negatively when she is unwell.
Relatives are sometimes expected to deter or sacrifice their dreams and pleasures for the sake of their kin. At the start of “Raymond’s Run,” Squeaky is determined to run and win. She practices hard and at every chance that she gets as evident in her statement, “I never walk if I can trot” (Bambara 2). However, when she sees her brother running, she resolves to train him, thus, forsaking her desires. In “Three women,” when the night employee quits his job, the two sisters have to adjust their routines to help their mother. The author states, “inverting their lives, Tevy and Kayley would sleep during the hot, oppressive days, manning the cash register at night” (So 3). Notably, the two girls had no choice but to assist with the business since their mother was already overworking in an attempt to meet their needs.
Lifestyles of healthy family members may have to be adjusted so as to accommodate or complement the individual with physical, psychological, or social challenge. Although she is only a young girl, Squeaky has taken the role of protecting her brother from all bullies. The task makes her risk her life because she fights anyone who abuses her brother. When Squeaky meets with her colleagues and defends Raymond, Rosie ironically asks, “What are you, his mother?” (Bambara 3). The implication is that she is doing a job that is associated with parents and yet she is a child.
Likewise, the life of Sothy and her two girls significantly changes following the violence at home, the man’s infidelity and eventual divorce. The three women have to adjust their lifestyle because of the missing father figure who used to batter and abuse his wife before remarrying. The father is described as having “infected her daughters with so much anxious energy, and who has abandoned her, middle-aged, with obligations she can barely fulfill alone” (So 6). Sothy and her daughters now have to work extra hard, without a vacation to be able to take care of their needs.
Family dreams are often entangled as members see the need to help the most vulnerable members first. Relatives intuitively look out for each other, especially when they empathize with the sibling who is perceived as needing assistance. In the case of Squeaky, leaving her passion for running to pave way for her brother by training him was the most appropriate action (Bambara 7). Her decision is expected to bring joy since Raymond’s disability has made people undermine him. The thought that he could run and emerge the best would motivate more individuals compared to when Squeaky wins. Sothy also has to sacrifice her sleep and comfort so that her girls can go to college (So 3). She opens the café and works without any rest to get enough money. This is partly because she is illiterate and wants the life of her daughters to be better.
Conclusively, family members share a strong connection such that when one person is not well others will, by default, be affected. Bambara’s short story indicates how Squeaky had to care and protect her brother, although she was also a child. She was always worried and looking up to him, in the end she gave up her dream so that Raymond could achieve something substantial in life. The family of Sothy in So’s narrative is also affected by the missing father who represents a sick individual.
The man who remains irresponsible was battering his wife and causing the entire family to live in worries. Sothy, who has been left alone, has to bear the responsibility of raising her family alone. She sacrifices her sleep and rest for the sake of her daughters fulfilling their dreams. It is, thus, apparent that the disease of one family member is bound to affect the entire kindred.
Works Cited
Bambara, Toni C. Raymond’s Run. The Child’s World, 2014.
So, Anthony V. “Three Women of Chuck’s Donuts.” The New Yorker. 2020. Web.