Inside Out Meets Anne Tyler

Through Anne Tyler’s Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, Tyler utilizes Pearl’s three children to symbolize the complexities of a relationship and what can ultimately make or break a relationship. Pearl and Beck Tull have three children, Cody, Ezra and Jenny. Shortly after their youngest is born, Beck abruptly leaves his family to focus on his business career; overwhelmed by the newfound commitment. Pearl, heartbroken and anxious, puts on a brave face to her kids and repeats the phrase, “Dad’s on an extended business trip.” Pearl describes each of her kids as having distinct personalities from one another. Cody the eldest, “… the troublemaker- a difficult baby…” (Tyler 3) and “… was prone to unreasonable rages” (Tyler 22). Ezra the middle child, “… so sweet and clumsy it could break your heart” (Tyler 4). Jenny the youngest, “… was kind of a luxury” (Tyler 4) and “… was so flippant” (Tyler 22). Cody represents conflicts that arise in relationships; the anger and frustration that can form from arguments or miscommunication. Tyler characterizes Cody to be the most easily angered sibling as well as having unreasonable rages to illustrate the hard times that occur in relationships. Specifically when Cody is born, that is when miscommunication forms between Beck and Pearl. But through Ezra, Tyler is able to symbolize the optimistic and joyous memories that occur in a relationship through Ezra’s selflessness. Ezra is described as being Pearl’s favorite, and being the one sibling who is truly empathetic and selfless. Due to Ezra’s compassion, Cody is constantly envious of his younger brother. Through the tension between both brothers, Tyler is able to illustrate the idea that in a relationship, there will always be obstacles that come in the way ultimately attempting to end the relationship, but it takes selflessness and love to battle through those conflicts together and rise above. Tyler utilizes Jenny, to represent the playfulness and childish moments in a relationship. Jenny doesn’t take situations as seriously as her older siblings. By utilizing Jenny’s innocence and playfulness, Tyler is able to illustrate that even when times get tough, as much as conflicts should be addressed, it is important to not dwell on the negatives as harshly. Through Jenny’s personality of being able to create a balance between her two older brothers, Tyler is able to emphasize a middle ground; even in emotional provoking situations that can create frustration, one must remember to not dwell on the negatives too harshly. Through Pearl and Beck’s relationship, Pearl tended to focus on Ezra’s wellbeing more and Beck focused on Cody’s wellbeing more; they both lacked on focusing on Jenny. Through the parents’ focus, Tyler is able to illustrate that the downfall of Pearl and Beck’s is due to Beck focusing on frustration and problems, while Pearl was driven more by her emotions. By both lacking on their focus on Jenny, they both lacked trying to find a middle ground in their situations. It is through Pearl and Beck’s downfall, that the three children should’ve had equal focus to illustrate how vital it is to have a balance in a relationship.

I believe that Tyler has excelled in showcasing how important it is to have a balance of negativity, neutrality and positivity in a relationship. I think that some readers would believe that relationships should only consist of happy moments, or that the happiest of couples are those that never fight. Tyler illustrates that the healthiest couples are those that are able to acknowledge their issues, and work together despite the frustration and anxiousness, to rise above. I think the way she is able to showcase this balance by having each child represent a different key element in creating a healthy relationship, is very creative as well as accentuating each sibling’s personality. Tyler presents different conflicts for the family to face, and due to each sibling having such distinct personalities to one another, it is interesting to see how each sibling would handle the situation. It reminds me of the Disney movie Inside Out, because each sibling represents an emotion and reading through each point of view of how they would handle a conflict is very interesting and I can’t wait to read more.