I must apologize for the delay in posting this--I had a week of personal crises, and could barely wrap my head around reading anything, much less processing it. However, my head is clear, the crises are over, and here goes!
We read three stories for the 1970s--"Roses, Rhododendron," by Alice Adams; "Verona: A Young Woman Speaks," by Harold Brodkey, and "How To Win," by Rosellen Brown. What struck me as I was reading was the prevalent theme of childhood. Each story was centered around children, their lives, and the interactions between children and parents.
To begin, let's look at "How To Win." In this story, a mother is faced with the grave difficulty of having a child with autism. During the 1970s, schools finally began introducing IEPS, that is to say, Individualized Education Plans, to help the lesser-functioning students make their way through school. This was a novel thought at the time--no one had taken any interest in these children before. The struggle this poor mother has with her child is a direct reflection of the difficulties of the time...there were no supports like there are now, and parents had to make do on their own. Education about the disorder was lax as well, as is evidenced by the father's comment on pages 511 and 514. He is of the 'boys will be boys' notion, and seems to disregard the fact that his son has a justifiable developmental disorder.
The remaining two stories are not pertaining to the first in terms of disorder, but only in terms of childhood. Each story, in fact, has a completely unique view on it, although some parallels can be drawn between the last two, to describe the relationship a girl has with her mother. I digress (again), however, so back to the point.
"Roses, Rhododendron" is the story of a young girl who's mother is a little, shall we say, flighty. She moves her daughter to North Carolina based on the whims of a Ouija board, and sets up shop dealing antiques. The daughter becomes close friends with a local family, despite her mother's jealousies. However, when she goes off to college, she loses touch with her friend, only to reconnect with her at the very end of the story.
What strikes me the most with this piece, is the author's ability to describe the mind of a child perfectly. When the girl witnesses a fight between her friends parents, she forgets about it, just like any other child who refuses to accept that their world is less than they desire it. When she loses contact with her friend, she builds a world around her, nearly idolizing her, only to discover that her friend had done the same with her.
The final story, "Verona: A Young Woman Speaks," is narrated by a very young girl who is traveling with her parents in Europe. The time period is set quite before the 70s, probably even before WWII, but it is not specified. The girl is having the time of her life, as is the whole family, yet the dynamics are fascinating. The father is the material parent, relying on presents and trips to solidify his place in his daughter's life. The mother on the other hand, with her strong personality, is simply the girl's Momma. There is a beautiful scene on the last page which demonstrates this, where the girl and her mother are on a train, simply looking out at the scenery passing them by. The father doesn't recognize the beauty, and goes back to sleep, but the girl, snuggled in her mother's arms, is happy (pg. 538).
The similarities between these stories, the theme of childhood and family dynamics, are closely related to some issues during the 70s. Families were being redefined by the prevalence of technology, and even close family ties were changing. It's no wonder then, that family played a large part in the literature of the decade.
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