Cause And Effect

My Blended Family

I come from a nontraditional family, and I would not have it any other way. In the essay “Stone Soup” by Barbara Kingsolver, the author attempts to explain why the nuclear family should not be the standard by which a healthy family should be judged. Although I do not agree entirely with some of the statements the author has made, overall I feel that Kingsolver has made it a point to redefine the meaning of family. In my experience of living within a blended family, there are some points that the author has made that I can relate to and other statements in which I feel are complete nonsense.
In this essay, the author states,“ It’s probably been suggested to you in a hundred different ways that yours isn’t exactly a real family, but an imposter family, a harbinger of cultural ruin, a slapdash substitute- something like counterfeit money.” Kingsolver is basically stating that society does not see blended or divorced families as legitimate   because they are not considered a nuclear family. I vehemently oppose this statement. My parents have been divorced for over twenty years, and I have never had anyone even remotely suggest that my family was not a real family. I feel that divorce is a normal part of our lives these days, as are blended families and remarriages. In addition, our society is more accepting of divorce today than it was thirty years ago.
Secondly, Kingsolver writes, ” I know of no one who really went looking to how the harder row, especially the daunting one of single parenthood. Yet it seems to be the most American of customs to blame the burdened for their destiny.” I think that what the author is trying to say is that all too often, people try to blame the divorcee as the reason behind the divorce. Since their spouse is the one filing for divorce, then that person must have did something horribly wrong and did not try hard enough to repair the marriage. I feel that the author has made an excellent point regarding this...