On Going Home by Joan Didion

On Going Home

In the given essay, “On Going Home”, the author Joan Didion illustrates a clash of cultures between her husband’s and her own. The essay is written from a first person point of view and strongly emphasizes on the conflict as her husband has trouble fitting into her family’s house. One can see this in the phrase “difficult, oblique, deliberately inarticulate” as her husband cannot feel comfortable in such a harsh environment. Due to this rift, there lies a lack of mutual understanding. This is also seen in the lines “we appear to talk about people committed to mental hospitals” and “my husband’s inability to perceive the advantage in…real estate” wherein the husband is unable to clearly understand what’s going on around. Another prominent idea portrayed is the thought of betrayal. This is evident in the line “marriage is the classic betrayal”. Didian expresses the fact that her husband and she cannot have the same level of understanding. Didian is forced to make a choice between her family and her husband. In addition, the baby is trapped between the families. As evident in the lines “ we live differently now and can promise nothing like that”. This indicates that the child cannot get the luxuries she could have got earlier way of living. In the given essay, “On Going Home”, the author Joan Didion illustrates a clash of cultures between her husband’s and her own. The essay is written from a first person point of view and strongly emphasizes on the conflict as her husband has trouble fitting into her family’s house. One can see this in the phrase “difficult, oblique, deliberately inarticulate” as her husband cannot feel comfortable in such a harsh environment. Due to this rift, there lies a lack of mutual understanding. This is also seen in the lines “we appear to talk about people committed to mental hospitals” and “my husband’s inability to perceive the advantage in…real estate” wherein the husband is unable to clearly understand what’s going on around. Another prominent idea portrayed is the thought of betrayal. This is evident in the line “marriage is the classic betrayal”. Didian expresses the fact that her husband and she cannot have the same level of understanding. Didian is forced to make a choice between her family and her husband. In addition, the baby is trapped between the families. As evident in the lines “ we live differently