In The Snapper, by Roddy Doyle, the Rabbitte family faces many interesting events because their eldest daughter is pregnant. Through the different characters in the story, Doyle is able to use humor to demonstrate how the family deals with everyday life

The first 200 words of this essay...

Lory Leon

March 30, 2009

ENGL 273

The Snapper

How would you describe family? Often, many people would say that family is related to happiness, it involves the sharing of wonderful memories and the development of long lasting friendships. However, many times, a person will not mention the negative side of what a family is. In The Snapper, by Roddy Doyle, the Rabbitte family faces many interesting events because their eldest daughter is pregnant. Through the different characters in the story, Doyle is able to use humor to demonstrate how the family deals with everyday life situations. Jimmy Sr. the father, Veronica the mother, and Sharon the mother all face a change due to this child. The "snapper" an Irish term for child, serves as the medium for change and a sense of progression in the characters. Thus, Jimmy Sr., Veronica and Sharon use humor to make family ties stronger, draw away criticism, and to avoid or strengthen intimacy.

To begin with, once Veronica and Jimmy Sr. have found out that their daughter is pregnant, they each have a different reaction. For example, Veronica is worried that the