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| Jeane-Baptiste Greuze. The Paternal Curse. 1777. Louvre Museum, Paris France. The Paternal Curse also known as the The Ungrateful Son is an oil painting by Jeane-Baptiste Greuze. The dark tones in this painting make it all the more dramatic and intense when combined with the tortured looks on the faces of the family members. First we see the daughter struggling to hold back the father as the son is leaving and the other family members appear to be pleading with him to stay. But then there is also an almost sinister looking man waiting for him at the door. The general appearance of the room itself lends to the idea that the family may be losing a bread winner or be dealing with very hard times. Ironically Greuze himself is said to have had issue with his own father. It is said that his father was originally against his being an artist. This appears to be a son leaving for the military. Perhaps the father did not approve of him going off to war or maybe the son left to fight when his father would not. |
Temptations. Papa was a Rolling Stone. Motown. 1972.
It was the third of September.
That day I'll always remember, yes I will.
'Cause that was the day that my daddy died.
I never got a chance to see him.
Never heard nothing but bad things about him.
Mama, I'm depending on you, tell me the truth.
And Mama just hung her head and said,
"Son, Papa was a rolling stone.
Wherever he laid his hat was his home.
(And when he died) All he left us was ALONE."
"Papa was a rolling stone, my son.
Wherever he laid his hat was his home.
(And when he died) All he left us was ALONE."
Well, well.
Hey Mama, is it true what they say,
that Papa never worked a day in his life?
And Mama, bad talk going around town
saying that Papa had three outside children and another wife.
And that ain't right.
Heard some talk about Papa doing some store front preaching.
Talkin about saving souls and all the time leeching.
Dealing in debt and stealing in the name of the Lord.
Mama just hung her head and said,
"Papa was a rolling stone, my son.
Wherever he laid his hat was his home.
(And when he died) All he left us was ALONE."
"Hey, Papa was a rolling stone.
Wherever he laid his hat was his home.
(And when he died) All he left us was ALONE."
Uh!
Hey Mama, I heard Papa call himself a jack of all trade.
Tell me is that what sent Papa to an early grave?
Folk say Papa would beg, borrow, steal to pay his bill.
Hey Mama, folk say that Papa was never much on thinking.
Spent most of his time chasing women and drinking.
Mama, I'm depending on you to tell me the truth. Mama looked up with a tear in her eye and said,
"Son, Papa was a rolling stone. (Well, well, well, well)
Wherever he laid his hat was his home.
(And when he died) All he left us was ALONE."
"Papa was a rolling stone.
Wherever he laid his hat was his home.
(And when he died) All he left us was ALONE."
"I said, Papa was a rolling stone. Wherever he laid his hat was his home.
(And when he died) All he left us was ALONE."
There was another version of this song done earlier but it did not gain the same recognition as the Temptations version. The song remains on the list of top 200 songs of all times and depicts a similar theme of a child and a father who was not the best role model a son could have.
It is very easy to imagine this conversation taking place between a mother and son. We can only imagine the heartache of a mother having to answer the questions being asked by her son. Much like the characters in Achebe's Things Fall Apart, we hear the story of a man who died leaving his family with nothing and never being a father figure to his children. Also similar to Okonkwo's situation is the idea of the father borrowing and not working a day in his life.
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Twentieth Century Fox, 1977. Film
Star Wars is the ultimate father vs. son and good vs. evil epic film. This clip is a six minute fight scene in which Luke attempts to finally kill his arch enemy only to find out that his enemy is his father. Luke had spent years training to fight against the dark side and struggled with his inner demons including his emotions and anger.
This film matches our theme because it again is the father and son struggle. As this fight takes place Darth Vader talks to Luke and tells him to embrace his dark side and for a moment it appears that he will. This happens quite often during the saga. This was the way Darth turned to the dark side. After Vader tells Luke the truth of being his father Luke is heart broken but even in the end he attempts to save his father believing Vader can change for the better.
Larsson, Stieg. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. 2009. Vintage Crime. Paperback.
This is the story of a reporter who while dealing with his own troubles agrees to write about the Vanger family at the patriarchs request and investigate the disappearance of a family member years earlier. During the investigation the reporter discovers that the young missing woman had been abused by her father and brother at the father's direction. When she realizes the father and son have become serial rapists and killers, she disappears.
Although extreme Larsson'sThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo fits with the theme of the parent-child conflict. The son followed the exact path of his father and the daughter rejects the life the father has planned for her. After the fathers death the brother continues to grow more and more viscous and the daughter eventually has to decide how to handle it.
