Reader's Ink discussion

Do you think the overall plot of the novel is a critique of polygamy or some other message the author is trying to send about family?

Good Question Meghan...I was thinking about that too.

When you think of all the crises that occurred throughout the book in my opinion, I feel that he wanted to do a study using polygamy, but to study how a family handles some really serious situations that a family could have whether a polygamist or not.

I think it is a critique of overall family dynamics more than polygamy itself...although he does seem to view polygamy negatively, from the aspect of raising children and valuing time. However, that is true for any family. I think he is critical of any family dynamic where one gets so caught up with themselves they fail to realize their family unit is crumbling around them until it is too late. We operate in our own little worlds sometimes and fail to see the bigger picture and bigger problems right around us until it is too late.

Going to the second part of Meghan's question- overall message about family. I think for a family to work, they need to have certain elements- leadership from the parents, discipline, love and attention for everyone in the family....I'm sure there's more...

In this case, the family did not work, and did not consistently have these elements. The fact that it was a polygamist family only magnified these problems.

This book reminded me of a comment made by a classmate a few years back: I'm sick on the focus of quantity of children over quality.

Isn't that so true about this book? This book is all about the quantity of family: more children, more wives, more, more, more. It's a materialistic view of family, this concept that more must equal more devout.

In short, I'm with Meghan: this is a critique of family dynamics more than polygamy. I get the feeling that Golden would have been a dysfunctional father even in a monogamous marriage.

might have been? totally would have been...he was a dysfunctional person.

I agree with Carol--I think Udall did more of a study of polygamy than a critique. It almost had an ethnographic approach. Overall, the novel was a study of family, and polygamy was the hook, if not the gimick.

Lauren, you have an interesting take on the big families as a religiously sanctioned "more more more!" I think there's a lot of truth in that, in some cases. Meet the Duggars comes to mind!

Thanks Ashley. I've enjoyed all the many comments, yet similarities our comments have. Seems there are some definitive threads we've mostly stuck to and mostly agree upon.

Duggars for sure Ashley....and many other religions promote the same...whatever happened to quality over quantity...that I think is Udall's message.