The Broken Remains of an Eternal Bond

The Broken Remains of an Eternal Bond

Society classifies a traditional family as two parents with a child or multiple individuals living in house with a white picket fence. In most cases this is true; however, there are families in this world that are arranged non-traditionally. There are bonds that are developed that are nontraditional and it takes particular incidents make them grow and prosper. Disgrace presents a bond between David Lurie, an emotionless 52- year-old professor, who has fascinations with younger women - particularly his students - and his completely opposite daughter, Lucy, who lives a much softer and compassionate lifestyle. Central Station introduces a bond developed between an orphan child of the name Josue and a heartless letter writer for illiterate people, Dora, during a journey to find Josue's unknown father. In both Disgrace and "Central Station", tragedy forces these socially isolated characters to reflect on their relationships, learning when to reach out and when to let go.

Each story shares a different catalyst to the unusual connection that arises in a nontraditional family bond. In Disgrace, David Lurie is emotional distant from his daughter Lucy. Likewise, in Central Station Dora was cold and empathetic to Josue's needs. A tragedy can bring the best out of anyone. This is the case in both stories. The potentially life threatening event that characterizes the events of Disgrace shows us the precious nature of a young woman and the protective instincts that can arise in the case of a traumatic event. David Lurie witnesses his helpless daughter get taken advantage of and raped by a neighborhood hero. The paternal nature of David comes alive after Lucy is raped. For once he is concerned for someone other than himself. Basing his reactions on raw emotion, David sheds his selfish side. This is in stark contrast to the beginnings of the novel when he sorely lacked as a parent. He was physically and emotionally isolated from Lucy, never developing a strong connection with is daughter. "His child was in the hands of stranger. In a minute, in an hour, it will be too late; whatever is happening to her will be set in stone, will belong to the past. But now it is not too late. Now he must do something" (94). The incident made David feel as though he was a failure. He allowed this man to humiliate and hurt his daughter and failed to take action. He dealt with guilt, which is an emotion he had not experienced before. Lucy was the first female interaction in which David has feeling truly emotional feelings. Typically his relationships with women were marked by pure physical contact. They were all about lust and romance. However, Lucy shows him how to open up and build stronger connections with women on a deeper, more intimate level than the emotional ecstasy that one can enjoy with sex.

In the beginning of "Central Station", the audience is introduced to the cold and heartless Dora. Josue first impression of Dora made her out to shallow and unapproachable. Their first real interaction took place after Josue's mother was killed by a bus. Instead of being compassionate and a true friend, Dora comes across apathetic. She takes in Josue, but never shows sensitivity to the boy's grief. If this tragic event never occurred, then Dora and Josue would never have bonded. Although the process of connectivity was rough, and at times difficult, they eventually grew to like each other. It was almost as if they had no choice but to bond. Josue was without a mother figure, and now Dora could fulfill his forever lasting grief. Josue benefited Dora in ways she never would have imagined. She learned a lot about herself and Josue made her personality softer. Before she was rigid, and lacked sympathy. Children, or a close connection with another individual, especially following a horrific event, can help aid the healing process and overall help bring two completely opposite worlds together.

When building a bond with someone, it is important to make decisions based

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