Parental Influence On The Goon Squad - 1886 Words

Parental Influence on the Goon Squad Parental Influence is arguably one of the largest contributing factors when it comes to shaping an individual. This same idea can be applied to literature, serving to help us understand characters when we are having a hard time seeing the full picture. While parental influences are an important aspect for interpreting characters, they are often overlooked due to such a large amount of information being fed to the reader. This such problem is exemplified in Jennifer Egan’s story, A Visit From The Goon Squad, because of the vast amount of information provided for each character, along with the shift in time periods throughout the novel, it’s easy to overlook some information. The relationship between a child and their parents creates a foundation on which their persona is built upon, and helps to shape them into their future self. Over the course of the novel Egan demonstrates how this child parent relationship and its influences can vary greatly between homes. With a majority of the characters hailing from broken homes, the reader gets to experience the good and the bad that can come from being raised in a single parent household. Ultimately, the effect that parental influence has on the characters from A Visit From The Goon Squad shows us that children who are raised in broken homes may experience some hardships, but that they can learn from those hardships and emerge from this â€Å"disadvantage† unscathed. In America divorce is a common