Family Dynamics Anonymous 10th Grade

Anne Tyler’s Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant is filled with many complex characters that make up the Tull family. However, throughout the interconnected lives of siblings Ezra, Cody, and Jenny, the one key figure they lack is their father, Beck. In Anne Tyler novel, Beck’s characteristics ultimately lead to a disjointed family unit. The eldest son of the Tull family, Cody, is a character who is perhaps the most misunderstood out of everyone. Like Beck, he is never able to settle down in one area and is constantly moving around for his work.

The same way Beck had worked so hard to impress Pearl, Cody works so hard at his job to impress his father. His subconscious desire to please his father is seen when it is said, “His success had finally filled its purpose. Was this all he had been striving for—this one brief moment of respect flitting across his father’s face?” (291) Cody’s dedication to his job leads to his family’s inability to take up roots the same way Pearl’s family had been because of Beck. Cody’s disjointed family unit is also caused by his inability to connect with his child, a characteristic seen previously with Beck. While Beck’s poor job as a parent stems from his abandoning his family, Cody’s simply stems from...