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Fathers and Sons

 There were multiple themes in Home Fire that I found interesting. However, I found the father and son theme to be the most interesting and relatable. As a son, I can understand some of the feelings that both Eamonn and Parvaiz have regarding their role models. Home Fire examines two starkly different father and son relationships. First, Eamonn desperately wants to live up to his father's expectations that he will live a life full of determination, strength, and grit. Unfortunately for Eamonn, he was brought up in a house of immense privilege, making it difficult for him to demonstrate strength and hard work. In Parvaiz's case, he leaves a life with his sisters' love to pursue his fathers footsteps in extremist groups. Shamsie is able to show how both sons feel the pressure of their respective fathers' legacies while attempting to carve their own lives out. Towards the beginning of the novel, Eamonn tells Isma the respect and love that he has for his father. He then talks about how he feels like he has to exceed his father's expectations for him. Eamonn will never be able to accomplish as much as his father because Karamat grew up in poverty and worked hard to become successful. Eamonn is privileged because of his mother's wealth. Eventually, Eamonn defies his father by posting a video message online trying to compel his father to allow Parvaiz be buried in Britain. Eamonn's actions to prove to his father that he is brave lead to his downfall. Parvaiz wanted to connect with his father and learn from him. He got tied up in a toxic, extremist group that led him to joining ISIS. Parvaiz wants to experience what his father had experienced in order to define who he is. Eventually, Parvaiz realizes that his father is not a man to embody. His father abandoned their family and Parvaiz had done the same. Both of these sons wanted to be better than their fathers. They both destroyed themselves trying to fulfill this wish. 

Comments

  1. CassiOctober 9, 2022 at 9:03 AM

    Hi James! This comment is super insightful! I knew there was definitely that aspect of different father-son relationships, but I never considered how they both lead to a similar outcome. I also loved hearing your perspective on relating to the story here, as being a daughter, this theme in the novel wasn't inherently super relatable for me.

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  2. Noah English 11H BlogOctober 9, 2022 at 4:36 PM

    I find the dichotomy between Eamonn's want to live up to his father's expectations and knowledge that it will never happen very interesting. Eamonn intrinsically and predispositionally is not the person Karamat wants him to be—therefore, Eamonn either must become someone he's not or come to terms with the fact that his father may never fully respect him or his decisions.

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  3. Andrew BautistaOctober 10, 2022 at 11:55 PM

    Father and son is certainly a big theme of the book, and it's interesting just how much that influences the characters' decisions (namely Parvaiz). It makes you wonder where Parvaiz would be if he never learned about his father's legacy, as Farooq telling stories about how great his father was is enough for Parvaiz to want to join Isis.

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