Second Page

 In the short stories, "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, "A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flanders O'Conner", "The Rocking Horse Winner" by D.H. Lawrence and "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin. These stories all have a common theme of family and each one has their own unique perspectives issues within their families. For example, in "Everyday Use" a mother and her two daughters look back on their heritage and rediscover things that they never knew about themselves, leading to new realizations and goals. They find some old things in their home giving them new perspectives on their lives as a result. In "A Good Man is Hard to Find" a family is going on a road trip. During this road trip the family gets into many arguments and there are also many disagreements on things and in the end they end up suffering a tragic fate with only Bobby and Hiram surviving. In, "The Rocking Horse Winner" a mother and son have different perspectives and views on luck. The mother, who is named Hester, believes she was an unlucky woman in marriage and not work. Due to this, she does not play an active role in her children's lives and is not a good mother, even though it appears to be, because her neighbors believe she is a good mother. She is also concerned with appearances. In, "Sonny's Blues" the story opens on the narrator who is unnamed and he has read the newspaper that his brother Sonny was picked up by the police the other night for using and selling heroin. The theme of family in this story is the fact that Sonny and the narrator are suffering, but they also suffer in a way that reflects the despair around them.

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