Essay on Downfall of the Family in We Were the Mulvaneys

In the novel We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates, the act of rape causes the Mulvaney family to become distant and silent. Since no one wants to talk about the violent event except the youngest son Judd, there were consequences. The consequences of not talking about it are dramatic. The family looses contact with each other, and becomes angry towards each other. However, Judd wants to talk about it, and understand what happened. Since he does want to talk about it, he keeps in contact with every family member, and consequently there is no anger towards him. After Michael Mulvaney Sr., the father, find outs about the rape, he becomes starts to drink heavily, become silent and angry with his family and consequently he loses†¦show more content†¦The next day Marianne is told that she is going to live with Corinnes cousin for a while. When Marianne first told her mom about the rape, her mom was very supportive and tried to get Marianne to talk about it. Their relationship was good, however it changed over time. She helped Marianne out with everything and told her to keep rested. Corinne tried to talk to Michael Sr. about what happened and what he was thinking, but he insisted that it would be best if Marianne lived somewhere else. After Marianne moved out her mom stopped phoning her. Corinne did not tell Marianne or invite her to Patricks, the second oldest, graduation. Mariannes grandmother died, and Corinne did not tell her. Marianne found out through her mothers cousin. The funeral is Thursday at eleven, as Ive said. At their church...But your mother doesnt want you to attend, Im afraid (324). Even after this, Marianne didnt realize what her mother was doing to her. Whether she knew what her mother was doing to her and didnt say anything or, she knew but just didnt want to believe what she was doing to her. The reaction of the brothers was a bit different from the reactions of the parents. The oldest son Michael Jr. moved out of the house and into the city. Patrick, the second oldest, stayed quiet until he graduated out of high school. After Michael Jr. moved out he did still work for his father. After some time though, he found out, through his younger brothers, how hisShow MoreRelatedAustralian Aborigines Essay2225 Words   |  9 PagesAustralian Aborigines Until this paper, I never even knew there was such a word as â€Å"Aborigine† let alone it being a race of people dating back to the prehistoric times. I thought that all Australians were of Anglo decent, but I was wrong about that assumption. The Aborigines were the first and only inhabitants of Australia, until the late 18th century when European settlers came. Because of the Europeans, the Aborigines lives would change drastically. In this paper, I am going to talkRead MoreRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 Pageseffectively oust, by force, a colonial power. These were monumental times, and these men, fully steeped in the apocalyptic visions of the world, saw something important in all of these happenings. I grew up in Jamaica at a time when Rastas were still regarded as useless, lazy, half-insane, ganja-smoking illiterates who were of no value to society. Teachers, students, ofï ¬ ce workers, and anyone of social importance could not grow locks, and families would go into mourning when their sons would start