In Skolnicks’ Selection from the Family Transition, 2007, Arlene and Jerome assessed American traditional family, and they explained how the family values have become a central battleground in American politics. They articulated their ideas about how families have changed and how social and economic circumstances affected and reshaped families. Similarly, the authors of the Growing up is Harder to do argue that the past early adulthood had much more responsibility than today’s early adulthood because of the social and economic change that has happened. My understanding of both the ideas, “social and economic” are the two things that gave women their own financial independence, and let the present early adulthood without thinking the responsibility …show more content…
In the book, Haruf pointed out the problem of the Guthrie family which are dealing with traditional family problems, and he explained that Guthrie wife became neurotically unclear and she stays in bed. Finally, she moved out and rented her own apartment, and then she moved for good to her sister’s apartment in Denver. In the story, when Guthrie became a single father, he took care well his sons; however, he made cohabitation and solves his problem with other women. For example, he slept with Judy and then became the lover Maggie Jones. In this situation, the traditional family was destroyed and the sons missed their mother because they always asked Guthrie that when their mother would come back. In Skolnicks’ Selection pointed out that, “ As in earlier times, major changes in the economy and society have destabilized an existing model family life and everyday patterns and practices that have sustained it”(2007,290). It is clear that both Guthrie and Ella believed that there was no necessary to stay together and keep the traditional family continue because they can live like the single parents, as long as economy and society gave another opportunity to reshape their …show more content…
It is clear that this pregnancy was unintentional, but it showed her that the lack of responsibility of herself and her baby’s father Dwayne. For example, both of them could not easy take the responsibility of the child without help another person because she was seventeen years old in high school. Also, Dwayne is out of school, who lives in Denver, and he came to Holt for summer dance party. In addition, both of their parents disagreed with them to have child because Victoria’s mother when she felt her daughter got pregnant, she kicked out of the house, and Dwayne’s mother hides his number, and told Victoria that, “I am not giving out his number to everybody that wants it. He’s got his privacy to think of. He’s working a job and that’s what he needs to be doing. Whoever you are leave him along” (1999, 93).
Based on my understanding to this, both parents felt and scared for children could not handle their own live problems. Victoria experienced for her lack of responsibility because her mother find unacceptable to take care a child that came from the father of summer romance and her wrong daughter, and she kicked out to her. However, Dwayne did not much suffer problem like Victoria, but he felt shame when he finally came back in order to take his daughter and Victoria to Denver because Victoria did not realize any more that he can be