Pearl's Weakness

A single mother always sounds strong, positive, and loving; but it may not be the reality at all time. Pearl is a single mother who raises three children by herself. Her husband, Beck, leaves home for no reason and never comes back. Pearl collapses after Beck leaves. Under the condition, all three children have some kinds of issue that is caused by Pearl due to her lack of strength. In Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, Anne Tyler vividly shows Pearl’s lack of strength through different point of views, conflicts, and characterizations. Using the different point of views, Anne Tyler shows that Pearl is feeling insecure. She pretends to be strong outside, but her actions and words reveal the truth. Cody says to his Father, “She (Pearl)

Cody is absolutely the one who gets hurt by Pearl the most in the book. He is paranoid because of Pearl; he is insecure because of Pearl; he is jealous because of Pearl. During Cody’s childhood, Ezra is the one who gets all the love and forgiveness from Pearl whatever he does. Pearl loves Ezra more than any other just because she thinks Ezra is weak, and she is afraid to lose him. Under this condition, Cody even thinks every girl in their school likes Ezra as well. In Cody’s mind, Ezra steals all the loves from him; so Cody decides to do the same thing to Ezra. Cody chases after Ruth and marries her. Even so, Cody still thinks Ezra will take things away from him. When all the family members are together, Cody always stares at Ezra and watches what is he does. One time Cody even says to Ezra that “Ezra? Do you mind not standing so close to my wife?” (Tyler 180). When Ezra gives gifts to Cody’s son, he thinks Ezra wants to steal his son (Tyler 184). He is so unsure that he is loved by his wife and son because how Pearl treats him. To get love from Pearl, Cody fabricates against Ezra during his childhood. Cody has a plan in detail which he “replaced the bedclothes and he puffed the pillow and laid it delicately on the head. He lugged a pile of magazines from their hiding place in his bureau, opened them, and scattered them on the floor”(Tyler 46). Then Cody runs back to his own room and waits for Pearl to go upstairs. Pearl hears noise from Ezra’s room, so she goes up and wants to make sure the one she loves the most is fine. Then she sees magazines on the floor: “they were opened to pictures of women in nightgowns, in bathing suits, in garter belts and black lace brassieres”(Tyler 46). Pearl is shocked. This is unbelievable to her; she says to Ezra that “I never suspected that you would be such a person” (Tyler 46). Pearl feels safe only when everything is