Literature about Dysfunctional Families

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, although geographically and culturally the characters in Lewis Nordan's "Music of the Swamp" and Augusten Burroughs' "Running with Scissors" live entirely different lives, their dysfunctional families, their parents' preoccupation with their own dramas and the effects on these children are similar. The author points out that these stories share many common themes including mental illness, childhood loneliness, depression, adaptability in exchange for a sense of belonging, domestic violence, alcoholism, magic and superstition and resilience demonstrated by finding an identity in the midst of madness. The paper concludes that, although the protagonists grew up in extremely dysfunctional families, they matured to find their own way and to become amazing story-tellers.

From the Paper:

"Augusten, whose mentally disturbed mother has struggled to "find herself" as a lesbian and a mediocre poet, finally learns that her mother's doctor, to whom she had turned Augusten over as a child, and who had served as a pseudo-father for Augusten for years, truly was an insane sociopath, who had kept her drugged and subject to psychotic episodes as a way to ensure her dependence upon him. The incredible irony in this true story is that Augusten, over time, has become very close friends with one of the daughters of the doctor, who believes in her father."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Nordan, Lewis Music of the Swamp Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, NC: 1991.
• Burroughs, Augusten Running With Scisscors Picador, St. Martin's Press, NY: 2002.

More papers on Literature about Dysfunctional Families:

• Analytical Essay # 47058 : "Dysfunctional Families in Shakespeare"
• Cause and Effect Essay # 128223 : "Dysfunctional Families"
• Comparison Essay # 73815 : "Dysfunctional Families"

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