Familial belonging in novels
Familial belonging is how a character feels included, understood, or valued within their family. This guide will help you understand how writers present familial belonging in novels.
Even if you’re not studying the texts mentioned it will give you a good idea of how writers can show familial belonging in their stories and help you spot similar themes in other books.
Families
Families have changed in many ways over time. In the past, households often included many children. More recently, we’ve seen a shift from the traditional nuclear family to a wider range of family structures. Modern families are often single parent households or blended families. As society continues to evolve, family life will keep changing, but families will always remain central to our sense of identity and belonging.
Watch: Familial belonging in novels
How does a character’s relationships with their family affect the way they act and feel?
Here’s something to think about: how does a character’s relationships with their family affect the way they act and feel? Those relationships are as important to people in stories as they are to us in real life. And how a character feels included, understood, or valued within their family is called ‘familial belonging’. It’s a feeling which often changes as the story develops.
Let’s look at two books. You don’t have to be studying these – they’ll still help you understand this theme in other stories.
In the novel Boys Don’t Cry by Malorie Blackman, a teenager named Dante finds out he is the father of a child by his ex-girlfriend. Early on, Dante says: “My name’s not even on the birth certificate. How can you be sure it’s mine?” Notice, that he uses the pronoun "it" when talking about the baby. A pronoun is a short word used in place of a name. Here, the word ‘it’ makes the baby seem more like a thing than a person. He could have said "she", couldn’t he?
Later in the story, he has developed a familial bond with the baby. He says to a social worker, “Emma is my daughter and my responsibility.” This is a declarative sentence. Dante is proudly saying that baby Emma is his daughter. The pronoun Dante uses to refer to Emma has changed from "it" to "my’". His sense of familial belonging has brought him closer to her.
In A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, when the main character, Scrooge is visited by three spirits, he changes from being a cold-hearted and selfish old man to a caring and thoughtful person who helps other people, especially the Cratchit family.
When Scrooge meets the second Spirit – the Ghost of Christmas Present – he steps into the Cratchit home for the very first time and meets Tiny Tim, who is frail and ill. Scrooge asks: “Spirit, tell me Tiny Tim will live.” He is beginning to understand relationships and how to care for others close to him.
Later, having been completely transformed by the warnings from the Ghost of Christmas Future, Scrooge is enjoying a new life as a good and kind-hearted man. Dickens writes of his generosity: “He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father”. Tiny Tim is not only alive, but he is being cared for by Scrooge.
The fact that Dickens writes of Scrooge as being a “second father” shows that Scrooge now understands the value of being part of a family. He wants to belong. Scrooge’s journey to familial belonging is complete.
Both Dante and Scrooge’s character development and sense of growing familial belonging bring a lot of emotion to their stories. Dante has learned to love and take responsibility for baby Emma. Tiny Tim has lived, and Scrooge has become like a second father to the little boy.
This theme of familial belonging may feature in the text you’re studying. Look out for the way characters relate to their families, perhaps overcoming difficulties in their relationships or having bonds which grow as the story develops.
Two texts that explore familial belonging
Two texts that explore the theme of familial belonging, and that you may have studied, are A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and Boys Don’t Cry by Malorie Blackman.
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella about Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly man known for his miserly behaviour. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by a series of ghosts, beginning with his former business partner, Jacob Marley. The three spirits that follow (the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come) show him how his cold, selfish actions have affected the people around him.
Boys Don’t Cry
Boys Don’t Cry follows 17-year-old Dante Bridgeman, who is preparing for university and dreaming of becoming a journalist. On the day he receives his A-level results, his former girlfriend, Melanie, arrives unexpectedly with a baby. Dante is shocked to learn that the child, Emma, is his. His whole family must learn to adapt to this sudden and life-changing responsibility.
How do novels explore familial belonging?
The theme of familial belonging is often shown through the relationships the main character (or protagonist) has with other members of their family. These relationships might be positive, adding value and support to the protagonist’s life, or negative, creating tension and conflict within the family.
Family structures are complex, and no two families are presented in exactly the same way. Some may be shown as close and loving, offering comfort and guidance during difficult times. Others may be more distant, with certain members feeling neglected or misunderstood. Authors may also explore how families are expected to behave according to the social conventions of the time in which the text was written.
Sometimes, a character may feel a stronger sense of belonging with people outside their family. Friends, mentors, neighbours or members of the wider community may offer support, understanding or acceptance that the family cannot provide. These relationships can highlight gaps or tensions within the family unit and show how a character’s idea of belonging is shaped both inside and outside the home.
When studying your novel, consider:
- whether family relationships are presented as close or distant
- how the main character feels about members of their family
- how the main character interacts with their family and the effects of these interactions
- which relationships are positive and supportive, and which are negative or cause conflict
- whether there are any relationships outside of the family that are more significant to your character and why
Familial connections in the novel you have studied
The first rows of this table show how familial relationships are presented in A Christmas Carol. Use these examples to guide your thinking, then complete the remaining rows with ideas and quotes from the text you have studied.
| Question | Idea/Quote |
|---|---|
| What is Fred’s relationship like with Scrooge? | Fred’s relationship with Scrooge is warm on Fred’s side but emotionally distant on Scrooge’s. Fred treats Scrooge with kindness and patience. He acts as Scrooge’s opposite (foil), highlighting Scrooge’s isolation. “A merry Christmas, Uncle! God save you!” cried a cheerful voice … “Bah!” said Scrooge. “Humbug!” |
| After Scrooge’s transformation, he seeks Fred out, and Fred welcomes him with open arms. Their relationship is restored, showing Dickens’ message, that compassion can heal even long damaged family bonds. “It is I. Your Uncle Scrooge. I have come to dinner. Will you let me in, Fred?” | |
| How does Scrooge learn the value of family belonging? | At the start of the novel, Scrooge isolates himself from society, including his only living relative, his nephew Fred. “Nephew…Keep Christmas in your own way, and let me keep it in mine!” |
| By the end of the novella, Scrooge realises the value of family connections. He makes amends with Fred and becomes a father figure to Tiny Tim. “He did it all. And infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father." | |
| Choose one important family relationship in the text you have studied – this may be positive or negative. What is this relationship like? | |
| How does the relationship between the main character and one of their family members change throughout the novel? | |
| How does the main character’s relationship with a family member lead to conflict in the story? |
