Rosemary is a victim of the fluctuating views that her parents and grandparents hold because it adds to the confusion and self doubt that she possesses about her family throughout the novel. Because Rosemary gets different perspectives from two separate generations, her vision of what an American family should be comprised of is heavily disoriented. This situation primes Rosemary to have a different perspective on what her family should be, which ultimately just adds to the confusion of being raised in a different generation. The problem with being raised by two generations is that both outlooks are shared, and where they contrast with each other can lead to even further confusion. There is an inconsistent view being enforced and imposed upon …show more content…
Because Rosemary grows up thinking she was the reason Fern was sent away, she has to live with an immense amount of guilt on her shoulders. Her perception of family is affected because she considered Fern a real part of her family, which already begins to combat the elder generation’s perspective on the general construct of a family. This simple act of accepting Fern into the family displays the gap between the different generations. The moment she left, the entire family atmosphere changed and although their “typical American family” image was more traditional and catered more towards the elder generation’s perspective, their overall family ambience became dark and somber. Rosemary reflects on her past, stating, “Whoever I was before [Fern] is no one I ever got to know” (Fowler 138). Even though Fern was not a concrete figure of the Cooke family in the elder generation’s eyes, she played a stronger role in developing the younger generation’s family atmosphere than any other family member did. Rosemary feels such a strong connection to Fern that it’s nearly impossible to not consider her part of the family. This challenges the social construct of a family, and it shows how society should be and has progressively been more welcoming when it comes to defining what a family is. We can choose who we let into our families, and we get to create our own meaning of family. Family should be a group that you can be yourself with, a group that you should be able to cherish and experience life