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Sharpe Brandon

Saunders Judith

English 1 A

3/6/2017

Looking for Work by Gary Soto and an Indian Story are two stories that depict a very different

view of an ideal family . In Looking for Work the boy gains his ideas of family values from what he sees

on the television . The boy in an Indian Story however develops his idea of family values in a very

different way by choosing to abandon his family in favor of living with his aunt . Though they have some

similarities the boys have fundamentally opposing views of family values which can be seen in the way

the main characters of both stories behave , such as Jacks choice not to live with his family where as

Soto was very involved in his family . The differences and similarities between these two stories show

that there are different ideas of ideal families for different people and that culture may play a role in

deciding the dynamics of a family . Their family dynamics , relationships with their fathers , their

personal ideas of an ideal family and role models show that though they grew up with similar

circumstances they ultimately developed different relationships with their families .

The family dynamics between the main characters and their relatives are one area where these

two stories are very different . In Looking For Work Soto is driven by a desire to change his family ,

motivated in part by the images of what was perceived to be an ideal American family in the television

show Father Knows Best . “ The sitcoms were simultaneously advertisements, etiquette manuals, and

how-to-lessons for a new way of organizing marriage and child raising” Coontz (39). Soto wanted his

family to emulate what he saw in the show because he felt that they had carefree lives and that his

family would be accepted into the community if they behaved that way . It is also apparent from the

story that Soto had a strong relationship with his siblings during childhood because he watched over

them during the summer . This is in contrast to Jack in an Indian Story who voices discomfort with his
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step brother , so much so that he doesn`t want to live with them . Jack did not have a desire to change

his family and in fact seemed to have no desire to be part of a nuclear family after his mother died .

Another area where family dynamics between the two characters was parental involvement ; Soto`s

mother seemed very comfortable with sending her children out on their own unsupervised but Greta

from an Indian Story seemed more concerned with Jacks behavior and wanted to know where he was

during the day . Where Soto wanted his family to mirror the idea of an American nuclear family , Jack

from an Indian Story was more comfortable living with just his aunt than he was with his father and his

new family .

Though their family lives were different they both had a strong female role model in their lives .

In Looking for Work Soto lives with his mother but there is no mention of a father figure . It is clear that

either his father has passed away or simply is not involved in his life . From this you can tell that Soto

depends upon his mother a lot as she is his sole guardian . The authors of the Color of Family Ties says it

is thought that Latino families are more disorganized than white families and that ties are weaker

because rates of single parenthood are higher in those groups . This is significant because the boy in

Looking for work seems to live in a single parent household where family ties and organization don`t

appear to be important in their daily lives . In an Indian Story , Jack lives with his Aunt Greta who is the

sister of his deceased mother . In the story Jack runs away to live with his Aunt after his mother dies

because he doesn`t like his fathers new family . Though Soto seemed to have a distant relationship with

his mother , Jack appeared to have a fairly close relationship with his aunt Greta that may have been

encouraged by the fact that he didn`t have a father figure in their household . While both characters had

a prominent female role model , their relationships with their parent were very different . Soto`s mother

seemed to be very busy and didn`t seem to have much time to watch over her son . You can tell this

because she sends him out into the neighborhood to fend for himself and tells him to stay out to avoid

bothering her . This is quite different from the relationship between Jack and Greta where it is easy to
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tell that Greta is concerned for Jacks well being . You can tell by the way Greta responded to Jacks

behavior when he got into a fight with another boy , she seemed to blame herself . The differences in

the boys relationships with their parent shows that growing up in a single parent home can be caused by

different situations and has a different effect on people .

Both main characters lived without a father figure in their lives but for different reasons . Soto`s

father was not present during his childhood but it is never explained why this is . In an Indian Story

however Jack makes the choice not to live with his father because he doesn`t get along with his fathers

new wife or her son . From this you can tell that Jack did not have a very close relationship with his

father because if he did I think he would try to be more accepting of his fathers family . I think that Jack

resented the idea that his father would start a new family and that is why he chose to live with his aunt .

In Looking For Work I get a sense that Soto wants a father figure in his life because he looks up to the

show Father Knows Best for guidance . To me this says Soto is searching for structure that he is not

getting in his family life . This is significant because while both characters grow up without their father

around , they have very different reactions to the environment of a single parent household . Where

Soto seems to desire a more structured family life with father figure , Jack didn`t want to live with his

father which shows that not every person growing up without a father figure feels the same about their

situation .

It`s clear from reading these stories that the main characters would have very different ideas of

what an ideal family would be . Soto in Looking for Work is striving to change the way his family behaves

to make them more like a nuclear family . “ At the time , everyone knew that shows such as Donna

Reed , Ozzie and Harriet , leave it to Beaver and Father Knows Best were not the way families really were

. People didn`t watch those shows to see their own lives reflected back at them . They watched them to

see how families were supposed to live … “ Coontz (39) An example of this is when he tries to convince
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his siblings to wear shoes at dinner . Other evidence is that Soto expresses envy of the family in Father

Knows Best which depicts an American Nuclear Family . Jack in an Indian Story however seems to prefer

to live in a single parent household . The authors of The Color of Family Ties state that commenters

often say the problems of family values in minority communities could be solved if they would all

conform to married couple relationships . (67) Jacks relationship with his aunt shows how

unconventional families can be functional even if they are disorganized and disproves the idea that all

families should be based upon marriage . This is significant because though they have a similar

situation , Jack only wants to live with his aunt where Soto wants to have a perfect family . The

importance this is that the boys developed different ideas of an ideal family not based upon the

situation they were in currently but based upon what seemed most comfortable and normal to them .

The characters of the stories Looking for Work and An Indian Story are two boys who grew up in

somewhat similar circumstances but developed different views of family life . Both characters grew up in

a single parent household with a woman at the head of the family . They also both lived in a family

without a father figure but Jack and Soto reacted differently to the circumstances they lived in . Soto

reacted to his situation by using television as a role model and developing the idea that the nuclear

family is most ideal . Jack however decided to leave his family choosing to live with his aunt instead of

his father and his stepmother which shows that Jack did not value the idea of having a nuclear family .

This is significant because the similarities between them would make you think that they would develop

similar ideas of what an ideal family would be but their views seem to be opposite one another . The

differences between these two stories and how they relate to family times shows that a persons

individual ideas determine what family life should more than that persons culture or social class .
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Works Cited

Soto Gary “Looking for Work” “Rereading America” by Gary Columbo , Robert Cullen

and Bonnie Lisle , Bedford St Martins ,2008, pp 26-31

Coontz Stephanie “What We Really Miss About the 1950`s” “Rereading America” by

Gary Columbo , Robert Cullen and Bonnie Lisle , Bedford St Martins ,2008, pp32-48

Jack Roger “An Indian Story “ “Rereading America” by Gary Columbo , Robert Cullen

and Bonnie Lisle , Bedford St Martins , 2008,pp52-60

Gerstel Naomi and Sarkisian Natalia “ The Color of Family Ties: Race , Class , Gender ,

and Extended Family Involvement “Rereading America” by Gary Columbo , Robert Cullen and

Bonnie Lisle , Bedford St Martins pp61-68