Road Ends by Mary Lawson follows the lives of three family members and their individual experiences that gives insight into the minds of the characters while exploring the roles of each family member set by societal standards. The novel perfectly illustrates the Systems Theory, which compares the family as a set of working parts, that function together to create a complete mechanism. Alterations in one working part, a family member’s behaviour, results in the other family member’s behaviours to evolve and adapt. The Systems Theory is highly prevalent in Road Ends, as each character’s decisions and behaviours is influenced by one another.
Megan’s decision to leave home initially is based off of her family. Having become exhausted from being …show more content…
In the early stages of the novel, Edward, who is Tom and Megan’s father, describes Tom as “...wasting his life…” (Lawson, 2014, pg. 27). This negative perspective stems from the fact that Tom has an MSc in aeronautical engineering but chose to drive a snowplough as an occupation.Tom is described to be particularly quiet and distant from people and avoids human interaction as much as possible. This can be seen when he is dining at Harper’s restaurant and purposely “...spread his newspaper over the table in one of the larger booths to deter company”. In the absence of Megan, the home’s well-being begins to deteriorate, as there is no longer a strong authority figure in charge. After seeing Adam, Tom and Megan’s younger brother who “...didn’t smell too great” (Lawson, 2014, pg. 36) and realizing he was starving, Tom takes the initiative to try and help his younger brother by foraging the kitchen for food. After seeing the state of the barren kitchen, Tom starts to feel “...a growing sense of dread, brought on by his small brother and the empty cupboards.” (Lawson, 2014, pg. 32). As the novel progresses, Tom is shown to steadily develop a bond with Adam and essentially becomes a caretaker for him. This transformation emphasizes the one of the key concepts of the Systems Theory, which is that “Family systems adapt when a change in one person’s behaviour causes the behaviour of others to evolve.” (Families in Canada, 2007. Pg 39). Tom’s behaviour changes when he realizes a family member is in need of assistance, his adaptation helps keep the family system
Megan’s decision to leave home initially is based off of her family. Having become exhausted from being …show more content…
In the early stages of the novel, Edward, who is Tom and Megan’s father, describes Tom as “...wasting his life…” (Lawson, 2014, pg. 27). This negative perspective stems from the fact that Tom has an MSc in aeronautical engineering but chose to drive a snowplough as an occupation.Tom is described to be particularly quiet and distant from people and avoids human interaction as much as possible. This can be seen when he is dining at Harper’s restaurant and purposely “...spread his newspaper over the table in one of the larger booths to deter company”. In the absence of Megan, the home’s well-being begins to deteriorate, as there is no longer a strong authority figure in charge. After seeing Adam, Tom and Megan’s younger brother who “...didn’t smell too great” (Lawson, 2014, pg. 36) and realizing he was starving, Tom takes the initiative to try and help his younger brother by foraging the kitchen for food. After seeing the state of the barren kitchen, Tom starts to feel “...a growing sense of dread, brought on by his small brother and the empty cupboards.” (Lawson, 2014, pg. 32). As the novel progresses, Tom is shown to steadily develop a bond with Adam and essentially becomes a caretaker for him. This transformation emphasizes the one of the key concepts of the Systems Theory, which is that “Family systems adapt when a change in one person’s behaviour causes the behaviour of others to evolve.” (Families in Canada, 2007. Pg 39). Tom’s behaviour changes when he realizes a family member is in need of assistance, his adaptation helps keep the family system