23 December 2012

A - Z OF PEOPLE WATCHING: F IS FOR FAMILY

This post could seriously go on forever, because as we all know families can be complex things. You (generally) can't choose your family, and even though they can be frustrating and annoying at times, you can't help but love them. 

F is for Family

I think family is particularly poignant at this time of year, as we flock to our family to exchange gifts, spend some time together, and probably have a bit of an argument too. As I live in London, away from my family in Cardiff, I really miss them. Especially my little nephew Jacob. So for birthdays or major holidays, like Christmas, I always go back to visit. And today I was rewarded with seeing my other half Dani, spend time with Jacob playing some alien-shooting computer game. During their game playing, Jacob turned to Dani to say thank you for playing with him. Dani replied by saying he enjoyed playing games together. And, bless his little heart, Jacob replied with "I love you, I do." Some times just the smallest of gestures or words can mean so much, and often just being around family is enough. Family can reassure us, comfort us in times of need, and make us laugh, or cry. They can be the people we hate most in the world, or the people we would do anything, including die, for.

But however we interact with our family, you cannot deny that they can have a hugely profound impact on who we are. As we grow up they help us learn new things and guide our understanding of the world and the way it works, such as morals or religion. To the same extent, they can also have a negative impact, teaching us bad habits and behaviour. Almost every fictional book will touch on family in some way for these very reasons.

What fascinates me about the YA genre is that more often than not, the protagonist's family is broken up, missing, abusive or dead. There aren't many happy families at the start of a YA story. Is this a reflection on modern family life, or does it make a protagonist's story more difficult and interesting?

But regardless of whether there are family members in the picture they can show us the truth behind a character. Is the protagonist bitter because of their upbringing, spoilt, or loyal? Take The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Anyone who has read or seen The Hunger Games can't deny that Katniss' loyalty and protection of her sister is truly admirable. Katniss doesn't display the same feelings for her mother, but that's because their home life isn't that straightforward.
I was terrified. I suppose that now my mother was locked in some dark world of sadness, but at the time, all I know was that I had lost not only a father, but a mother as well. At eleven years old, with Prim just seven, I took over as head of the family. There was no choice. I bought our food at the market  and cooked it as best I could and tried to keep Prim and myself looking presentable. Because if it had become known that my mother could no longer care for us, the district would have taken us away from her and placed us in the community home. I'd grown up seeing those kids at school. The sadness, the marks of angry hands on their faces, the hopelessness that curled their shoulders forward. I could never let that happen to Prim. Sweet, tiny Prim who cried when I cried before she even knew the reason, who brushed and plaited my mother's hair before we left for school, who still polished my father's shaving mirror each night because he'd hated the layer of coal dust that settled on everything in the Seam. The community home would crush her like a bug. So I kept our predicament a secret.

What does family mean to you? 

23 comments:

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Jo said...

Another fantastic post, Hannah! Family means the world to me. I have a very close extended family. When we get together, it's just fun. I spend a lot of time with my immediate family - we go to the pub together, I go shopping and to the cinema with my Mum, and take each other out to eat. My immediate family aren't just family, they're also friends. They say you can't choose your family, but if I could, I'd choose who I have.


And with my extended family, especially on my Mum's side, there is just a lot of laughs. My aunt is more like a naughty older sister than an aunt, my Nan is the life and soul of every party. There's an uncle on my Dad's side of the family who is more like a second Dad, and most of my other aunts and uncles just know how to have a good time. I don't remember there ever being any family arguments when we get together. The only arguments are between cousins and their parents sometimes, but not between the adults.


Without having such a close family who love each other and enjoy each other's company, I don't know who I would be. I couldn't imagine family to be any different, and do find it very strange and sad when people talk about not getting on with their's.

Raimy Greenland said...

amazing post Hannah… I miss my family, mainly my parents, a lot this time of year. The folks live in Bulgaria and I've not spent Christmas with them for six years now… its hard but they are happy and I am too, skype is good for chatting and catching up so it'll have to do for now!
I have noticed the same with YA books and it upsets me, I think its becuase its the norm to have a broken up family now, I know very few people who's parents are still together but I love that ine are and do sometimes wish that there were more families like my own in YA books.

Hannah Mariska said...

Wow, I didn't realise your parents lived in Bulgaria. Do you have lots of family there? I agree that more YA should include positive family experiences. Thanks for your comment and sharing :)

Hannah Mariska said...

Your family sound amazing! I think it's fab to have such characters in a family, especially when everyone gets on! :)

Book Angel Emma said...

<3

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