Random Family - Analysis free essay sample

An Analysis Sex, drugs, family, children, money, and prison are all complicated things that are reserved for adults to worry about in ordinary circumstances. In the book Random Family by Nicole LeBlanc, teenagers and young children are forced to learn to navigate multiple adult worlds and to constantly have to â€Å"change hats† depending on their specific situations. In only 400 pages of text, multiple characters in the novel have had multiple children and partners. These same characters have experimented with drugs, sold drugs, covered up for others who are dealing drugs, gone to jail, and gotten out of jail; all within an pproximate10- ­? year span. The sociological exchange theory can be applied to many different parts of this novel, which will be discussed below. Also, there are three major undercurrent themes in this novel that will be discussed in great detail over the course of this essay and they are: cultural perspectives on relationships; multi- ­? partnered fertility issues; and childhood adultification. We will write a custom essay sample on Random Family Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The sociological theory termed exchange theory, â€Å"views people as rational beings who decide whether to exchange good or services by considering the benefits they will receive, the costs they will incur, and the benefits they might receive if they ere to choose an alternative course† (Cherlin, p 22). This is definitely seen in how Jessica navigates her relationships. For Jessica, love was the most interesting place to go and beauty was the ticket. She gravitated toward the enterprising boys, the boys with money, who were mostly the ones dealing drugs - ­? - ­? purposeful boys who pushed out of the bodegas smudged doors as if they were stepping into a party instead of onto a littered sidewalk along a potholed street. Jessica sashayed onto the pavement with a similar readiness whenever she descended the four flights of stairs from the apartment and emerged, expectant and smiling, from he paint- ­? chipped vestibule. Lourdes thought that Jessica was a dreamer: She always wanted to have a king with a maid. I always told her, Thats only in books. Face reality. Her dream was more upper than herself. Lourdes would caution her daughter as she disappeared down the dreary stairwell, God aint gonna have a pillow waiting for your ass when you fall landing from the sky. (LeBlanc, p. 5) The passage above is taken from the very beginning of the book and it provides insight into how the social exchange theory can be applied to Jessica’s situation. Jessica is described as a very attractive young woman, and the reader is hown how Jessica views possible partners of the opposite sex. As Jessica chooses her next partner she always looks for qualities that provide her some sort of stability, be it financial or physical. The same is true for the partners who are considering Jessica. Her potential suitors often see Jessica’s physical beauty as worthy of the exchange of their goods. This theory is also at play when it comes to who has the power in the relationship. There is a lot of infidelity that takes place in this novel. But what is extremely interesting is that when a male character has multiple women on the side, it is the job of the â€Å"main woman† to gain he attention of her man. However, if this â€Å"main woman† has an affair, the boyfriend then seems to have to really contemplate whether or not they will stay together. The reason that the male in the relationship can exhibit so much frustration as a result of infidelity (even though he himself is doing the same thing or worse), is because of this exchange theory.