“Let It Snow” is a window into the realities of a dysfunctional yet somewhat functional family. David Sedaris discusses a specific incident in his childhood in which he honestly and fairly exposes the way it can be while living in one such family. He illustrates the dysfunction of the mother, but yet shows the coherence and combined, impromptu, yet necessary functionality of his siblings and himself.
His article is based on his experience with an extended snow day. In one of the rare times that North Caroline experiences a large snowfall he and his siblings end up out of school for multiple days. This results in their mother no longer being able to cope due to it interfering with her hidden alcohol addiction. When she no longer can take it she tells them to get out and
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This causes the children to be confused and the author accurately portrays this while also bringing across their absolute disbelieve at the events. Sedaris clearly shows how the behavior of his mother is not normal in reference to the expectation of a “normal” mother or even their own mother. The children then go off to play knowing they are not going to get back in at that exact moment. They then head home to go inside and find themselves still locked out. Their actions from that point out are told in such a manner that almost make one want to laugh but at the same time it makes the reader feel sorry for them. Their attempts to get her to answer while she sits in the kitchen drinking cause one to want to question how a parent chooses to ignore the pleas of her children to the point of leaving the room. Then the author quickly expresses how they become angry at her choice of behavior. It even draws a surprising reaction of the use of profanity from one of his