Green Road Part Two: Coming Home (Aug 2017)

[Casceil]

The thread is for discussion of Part two: Coming Home 2005.

[Elaine]

I found the first chapter of part 2 quite moving. I felt for Dan when Ludo proposed marriage and Dan was just overwhelmed. Although we are told that Dan never gave anything to his first wife, it strikes me that Dan himself was probably deprived as a child. At last someone is going to take care of him! Emotional and physical deprivation seems to be a running theme with this Irish family.

In the next chapter we learn that Hanna is also in bad shape. It seems she's the alcoholic and almost kills herself by falling on the ceramic tiled floor. Interesting that her blood and the spilled wine mix, suggesting that this is a hereditary problem.

This is quite a disturbing novel, although I have managed to become more detached in my subsequent reading. I wonder if it is just a commentary on Irish family life or also a critique of Irish heritage, the kind of devastation they suffer as a consequence of having been colonized. The low self-esteem seems to be endemic. But mostly the characters can't connect on an equal basis. Although it may seem that Dan connects, it is as a dependent. And Hanna is dependent on alcohol, so there are dependency issues.

Your thoughts?

[Casceil]

I didn't get the impression that Dan was "deprived" as a child. I got the impression that he was the beloved oldest child and got more attention, at least more of his mother's attention, than the other children. He seemed rather selfish to me. But Hannah, she's the character I felt I understood the least. I'll have to reread her chapter in Coming Home.

[Elaine]

Well, it seemed to me that when Ludo proposed, Dan's response was extremely emotional -- he was overwhelmed. I couldn't help but wonder why -- hadn't anyone loved his so well before? He almost seems like a child that needs to be taken care of, so when I say deprived, I also mean in a material sense. There is something missing, something he didn't receive before and it's not necessarily down to the mother. She obviously has her own problems.

[Marc]

Elaine, I think it's Dan's relationship with his father that might have even a heavier impact on his reaction to adult relationships (can't remember exactly where it occurs in the book, but he tells a story of his father on the beach).

All the children seem to have some sort of relationship "issues". A combination of losing their father and their mother's hot/coldness (I'm not quite sure how to "diagnose" her, but it feels like she needs to be "diagnosed").

[Elaine]

Yes, they all have their "issues." And Dan's may indeed relate to his father. But the parents have their own problems, or issues. It seems to me that Enright is bringing out how this is an inheritance, which made me consider how being Irish factored in. My mother-in-law was Irish, so I have an idea of how complex the Irish can be.

[Lily]

Elaine wrote: "Yes, they all have their "issues." And Dan's may indeed relate to his father. But the parents have their own problems, or issues. It seems to me that Enright is bringing out how this is an inherita..."

Elaine -- you ask an interesting question about the intent of the author -- and, thereby, how do we are readers discern it, if we are so inclined to make the attempt.

I read The Gathering and found it so harsh that I have sidestepped The Green Road at least for now, given what I have read about it. (I think I may be among those troubled enough by current news that I am seeking "comfort food" reading. I find myself resisting taking on Crime and Punishment on another board, probably partly for those same reasons. In Missouri this past week for the eclipse, I saw the local paper, the Kansas Star, even had an article on the topic, not surprisingly likely prompted by Hallmark productions recent popularity--Hallmark headquarters are in KC.) While I haven't explored Enright's background, I would not find it surprising that an author of her stature explored issues at both personal and broader levels.

To all of you who have been participating in this discussion, let me say I have enjoyed following it. I don't do that real often, but this one caught and held my attention.

[Marc]

Hmm... I had been thinking along the lines of nurture/learned behavior vs. biological inheritance or, perhaps, something more cultural. The Irish don't seem noted for their emotional stuntedness, do they (speaking in terms of stereotypes)? We're also dealing with a changing Ireland in terms of money, neighbors, etc...

[Casceil]

While both genes and environment play a role, I tend to believe the "nature" side of the question carries more weight than "nurture." Alcoholism, though, definitely runs in families, or at least susceptibility to it does. As far as the Irish character, I've always been a fan of Eugene O'Neil.

[Lily]

Casceil wrote: "While both genes and environment play a role, I tend to believe the "nature" side of the question carries more weight than "nurture." Alcoholism, though, definitely runs in families, or at least su..."

For what it is or isn't worth to this discussion:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

[Elaine]

On Irish identity and feeling stunted there's the play The Beauty Queen of Leenane.

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/201...

O'Neil is a good example, too.

[Elaine]

Today I thought of Samuel Beckett's Murphy's Laws, basically pessimistic "if anything can go wrong it will." While not exemplifying the Irish being or feeling stunted, it does express their sense of doom.