My Heartbeat as all about family and what it means to be so connected to a small group of people whether you want to be or not. For James, family is about neglect, convenience, and resentment. For Link, his family becomes an oppressive force because conflict needs to be avoided at all costs and the issues he's grappling with are a sure way of causing strife. For Ellen, family is like a problem to be solved; she is seeking a way to understand what makes her mom, dad, and older brother think and act the way that they do.
Questions About Family
- Why does Mrs. McConnell call their family dinner hour "sacred"? Why does it get harder to do as the school year progresses? How does this affect the family? How about the individual members?
- Why isn't James angrier about the hand he's been dealt in regards to family? What gives Link the right to be so angry?
- What do you think Freymann-Weyr is trying to say about families? Is there an overarching moral to our story? If so, what is it? If not, what affect does this have?
- How would this story have been different if it had focused on the character development of their friends rather than family? Would it have been different?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Instead of being a source of comfort, Link's family has become an oppressive fish bowl of judgment and expectations.
Link would have been happier if he had a family like James's—you know, one that's not around.