Family Narrative

Every family has a story. Or rather every family has a number of different stories. This does not mean that there are not important overlaps and consistencies among the stories that different family members tell. Both what is the same (or nearly the same) from one family member to the next and what is different is important to attend to as one tries to make sense of the story of one's family. It is important to understand where the schisms are: Are there emotional and narrative fault-lines between generations? Between genders? Between matrilineal and patrilineal sectors? Between those that immigrated to the United States and those that were born here? And, just as important, where are the alliances? Between mothers and daughters? Between those who are the most or least educated? Between those who share a religion?

In this paper I create a family narrative for my own...
[ View Full Essay]