Achieving Goals in The Corrections by Johnathan Franzen

Jonathan Franzen is the author of many books such as The Twenty-Seventh City and Strong Motion. He is probably best known for his book, The Corrections. This book mainly explores a variety of themes such as adversity and resilience, family unity and coming of age. The main characters are members of the Lambert family, who live in the Mid-West. Although each character is at a different stage of their lives, all of them are going through hardship. Gary, the eldest son, is the only child with a family of his own. By taking on most of the responsibilities, Gary is having trouble running his own family while experiencing clinical depression. Chip, the middle child, lost his job as a university professor and is working for a criminal warlord in order to make a living. Furthermore, the parents of these children are facing difficult time trying to reunite the family. Enid, the mother, suffers from harassment and distress in an attempt to bring all her children home for one last Christmas. Although the situation seems abnormal, it can actually be seen to be that of a typical family in America. In his novel The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen uses point of view to reveal that everyone can achieve their goals despite of their difficulties.

Although Gary appears to have a clear vision of his life, it is through the use of his and other characters’ point of view that Gary’s ability to achieve his goal in spite of his difficulties is shown. One of Gary’s main problems is his clinical depression. For instance, when Gary’s wife says to him: “I’m tired of living with a depressed old man,” (Franzen, 184) Gary knows that he is going to have trouble bringing his family back to St. Jude. With disapproval from two of his sons and wife, Gary feels that...

... middle of paper ...

...her goal regardless of other people’s criticism. Once again, through the use of point of view, the author reveals that goals can be achieved despite difficulties.

As it can be seen, Jonathan Franzen’s use of characters’ perspectives reveals that everyone’s objectives can be met in spite of their obstacles. Point of view is one of the best ways to express a character’s difficulties as readers can gain insight to his/her thoughts and feelings. At the same time, it is also possible to show a barrier that one faces through another person’s point of view. Whether it is a mother who has little control over her family, a son that takes advantage of his father’s paten, or a man who has lack of vision about life, everyone has common aims. There are many barriers that distance people from their dreams, but difficulties will always be part of the journey to reach one’s goal