Deep End Of The Ocean Essay Research

Deep End Of The Ocean Essay, Research Paper

The Deep End of the Ocean was a universal story of traumatic loss and its effects on individuals and families. Penguin Group published The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard in New York, N.Y. in 1996. The book was compelling, heartbreaking, touching, and wonderfully written. Once one picked this book up, putting it down would be impossible, it will keep one up until all hours of the night. It was fiction and in some senses, realistic fiction. Even though when one thought about it, the possibilities of it truly occurring, was slim. Beth the mother, Pat the father, Vincent the eldest son, Ben the middle child, and Kerry the youngest made up the Cappadora family of five. The event, which changed the course of everyone s lives forever, took place in Chicago. Originally the family lived in Madison, but chose to move to Chicago. It was very hard for Beth to move there after the kidnaping. Chicago was where the Cappadora family restaurant was and where Beth and Pat s family lived. It was also the place where Ben was found. Chicago was a place of endings and a place of beginnings. Beth was a dynamic character. She was not the best parent before the kidnaping. She favored Ben over Vincent and Kerry, and would not deny it. Beth loved them all, but liked Ben more because he was easier to love. It seemed like she would always take the shortcut if it were at all possible. Beth lost nine years of her life when Ben was kidnaped. She went through life like a robot, in motions, and with no feeling. It had hurt her even to think about Ben for a full minute. Because of this, Beth had built a structure of life where she never had to think about Ben. If she let the structure move, even an inch, everything would come tumbling down and not let her escape. Beth was not a real mother to Vincent or Kerry after the kidnaping. She did do the best she can, though it wasn t much. All Beth could bear to do, was her work as a photographer, and even that was in mechanical motions. When Sam entered their lives again, Beth was rejuvenated. She woke up from a nine-year sleep.Vincent was the one who let go of Ben s hand. He told Ben to Get lost. Vincent was just being a child, sick of holding his little brother s hand, while his mother was off having fun. It was not his fault. It would take a long while for Vincent to realize this. Ben was lost for nine years and Vincent carried this memory unconsciously for that time. It was not until Ben reappeared that this memory surfaced to haunt Vincent. Vincent was angry at the world all his life. He could never quite figure out exactly who it was he was mad at and never tried. Vincent had always wanted to obtain and retain his mother s love. Beth had always tried to prove her love to Vincent before Ben was kidnaped, but Vincent would always hold back. After Ben was gone, she stopped trying. When Vincent was young, he was resentful, impatient, and unforgiving. None of this changed until Ben came back into their lives. Vincent was a dynamic character. When Ben returned, Vincent remembered how things happened when Ben was kidnaped. He remembered that he let Ben s hand go and that he told him to Get lost. Vincent was mad at himself and felt guilty because he felt like Beth blamed him. Vincent was pleased when Ben was found, but he did not express it.Ben was the son who was kidnaped at age three. When Ben was a child, Beth had nothing bad to say about him. He was patient, accommodating, had good humor and faith, and he was the opposite of Vincent. Ben was a dynamic character. Ben was kidnaped but thankfully not tortured or harmed, he had a happy childhood. Ben was brought up as Sam Karras, by a mother and father figure. The mother, Cecile was the one who kidnaped him. She was mentally ill and got so sick that her husband, George had to take care of Sam himself. After all of the police work and searching Beth was the one to find Ben. At first Sam did not understand what was going on. All he knew were the parents with whom he grew up. The Cappadoras were strangers to him. After getting to know the Cappadora family, Sam still wanted to be with George. He did not say anything because he did not want to hurt the Cappadoras. Out of the whole family he felt the most attachment to Vincent. Sam went from being polite to the family, to genuinely loving the family and wanting to be with them. This only happened after the pressure was gone and he could breathe on his own. Pat was the brick and foundation of the family. He held up everything while Beth was off in her own world of semi consciousness. Pat was a static character. Pat s motto was Everything is going to be okay, or else. Pat gave up on Beth throughout the nine-year struggle, but never on anyone else in the family, including Ben.Kerry was the youngest child. She did not have any memories of Ben. She was not even a year old when Cecile kidnaped Ben. Kerry was a static character. She did not understand why Ben did not want to live with them and why he did not love them. Throughout her life she was happy and unaffected by the surrounding publicity and tension in which she grew up. Kerry grew up without her mom completely there. She got a real mom for the first time when Ben returned home. Kerry received two complete people at once.Candy was a static character. She was a detective and life long friend to the Cappadoras. Candy brought them through all of the body identifications and the tr