t, her manipulative skills to bind her children to her(Volker 128). This is how Pearl kept her family closed.This double standard Pearl set explains why Cody, Ezra, and Jenny were successful in their careers even though they failed in their relationships with each other as a family. There upbringing in a closed family was destructive and like Macon, from The Accidental Tourist, they did not open up and flourish until they were exposed to the outside world.Whether short or drawn out all growing is painful. It tests a family for what its worth. Growth shapes a familys relationships, identities, and values. However families can not grow without suffering. That suffering is part of the growing process, which includes giving up personal choices, jealousies and animosities. So it is true to say that family life involves some suffering for the individuals and the group but hopefully it is for the better for more acceptance and love of one another....
