Brideshead Revisited: Theme of Family Life Affecting Adult Life Anonymous 12th Grade

Brideshead Revisited is a 1945 novel that was written by Evelyn Waugh. During book one and chapter one of book two of the novel, readers closely follow main characters Sebastian and Charles through their adolescent years and early adulthood. The author gives a glimpse of Charles’s family life and focuses much of the story on that of Sebastian. Through observing Charles’s and Sebastian’s relationships with their families, a major theme becomes apparent: one’s family life as a child greatly influences his adult life. This theme is evident in looking at both Sebastian and Charles in relation to their childhood family lives.

Sebastian’s depressed state as an adult is at least partially a result of his family life growing up. Sebastian’s downtrodden adulthood is a product of his parents’ divorce. It is clear that Sebastian prefers his father, yet he is forced to live with his mother and only gets to visit his father on occasion. He feels as though his mother does not understand him, and he grows more and more resentful towards her as the years go by. His constant frustration with his mother is likely what causes him to turn to alcohol so often for an escape as a young adult. Charles recalls that he drank the most when he was at home...