Son Of A Trickster Relationships

Abdullah Nazer

Ms. Siddiqui

ENG4U0

8 May 2023

The Influence of Parenting and Family Connections in Son of a Trickster

Jared's life may be full of twists and turns, but at its core lies his unwavering warmth and genuine character. This quality serves as a beacon for him in tough times, helping him stay strong and true to himself. Jared is a sixteen-year old burnout in highschool whose childhood was unconventional. Jared struggles to receive unconditional love from his foul-mouth outspoken mom; abusive dad; and rejected sister because of his compassionate and sincere personality. Jared, despite the absence of his father due to his parents' divorce, takes on a parental role within his family through showcasing traits like kindness and compassion.

Destiny is aware of Jared’s sympathetic character, and takes advantage of it, putting him in a situation where he could not wholeheartedly refuse. Robinson's use of symbolism is evident in Jared's action of sliding the receipt through the mail slot as it represents his wish to avoid conflicts and the internal struggle he is going through. As he arrives at her door, he tries to “quietly slide [the receipt] through the mail slot”(Robinson 85) so he could avoid confronting her face to face. She was able to catch him before he left and convinced him through words related to family, which would have a strong influence on his morals and compassionate personality. The characterization of Jared that Robinson employs as a compassionate and responsible personality makes him vulnerable to manipulation. Jared’s sense of responsibility comes natural as he acknowledges that he is Ben’s only uncle, and pity his sister after she claims “Everyone’s leaving me”(Robinson 86). Jared still feels obligated to support his family because his father isn’t able to take responsibility himself. Although Jared is against further involving himself with her problems, his unconscious morals and values pressures him to stay and help. Destiny is able to manipulate him by using words of dependency and affection by saying how much her son likes him, so that he

Jared fails to receive consistent love and affection from his mother who neglects his upbringing and safety, resulting in a discourse with his idea of love. Robinsosn explores the theme of parental neglect's impact on a child's self-worth, Jared strikes his mom with a question “Did you ever think of not having me?”(Robinson 90) which shows how the lack of affection can mislead children’s personal value. The use of foreshadowing by Robinson hints at the fact that Jared may have grown up with a parent who placed more importance on financial gain than other values. Throughout his childhood, his mother was constantly deceiving and cheating in order to exploit money and material possessions which was made known to him when she claimed that “Richie could be the answer to a lot of our problems”(Robinson 21). It is not surprising that his behavior as an adult is characterized by the same lack of moral and ethical principles as his mother’s. Jared’s lack of affection in his childhood reflects his personal values, causing to wonder if he really is valued as a son. He was neglected as a child and grew up in an environment that promoted dishonesty and deception. The lack of presence leads him to begin growing independent from his parents. Moreover, Jared’s soft-heartedness and his witful grasp on