Tumultuous Family Dynamics In American Literature

There are many examples of tumultuous family dynamics in American Literature of the nineteenth century. America underwent a substantial cultural change in this period, including the abolition of slavery and immigration spiking in the mid-1800s, and it appears the family unit strained to adapt to the ever-changing American, with this being represented in the literature of the century. Additionally, the lack of a ruling aristocracy in America meant increasing importance was being placed on the individual’s aspiration and improvement; this may have contributed to the fragmentation of the family as a whole in some works of the era. Henry’s James’ novel The American showcases multiple families of various social-standings and nationalities which appear to be comparable fractured structures, but with dissimilar causes. James uses the family as a device to emphasise the role of culture in family bonds. …show more content…
James also uses the family as a form of commentary on the ‘Old World’ of Europe. The Bellegardes vastly differ to Newman in that they are a large family steeped in history, but there is obvious animosity between family members. From this arises the debate on whether the tradition of Old Europe is actually preferable to the ambition of New America. In Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the family dynamic of Hester, Pearl, and Dimmesdale is unconventional but positioned in a most ordered, Puritanical society. The very nature of Hester’s crime involves the perversion of the family and so the novel could be classed a form of morality tale regarding one’s relationship with