Tragedy and Lack of Self-Control in Mary Lawson’s Crow Lake
In Mary Lawson’s fiction novel, Crow Lake, reader’s interpretation of real-life is influenced through the idea that great tragedy occurs as a result of lack of self-control evident through domestic abuse in families, emotional abuse, and underage sex – all growing issues in our society.
The theme of domestic abuse is apparent in Crow Lake through the Pye family. In recent times Calvin Pye, the father, is abusing his one and only son as Pye fathers have done in past generations. There is no explicit reason for why the Pye men strongly dislike their sons and do not want them to inherit their land, it is simply seen as a hate passed down from generation to generation. In the novel, young Kate Morrison states “What haunted me most of all was the thought that three generations back, there was a Pye son who was prepared to risk freezing to death rather than face his father” (Lawson 42). Kate could not comprehend that someone would risk dying rather than tell their father they had done something wrong. This connects with the real world because male domestic violence is unheard of to the point whereby some believe it is virtually non-existent. Kate is unaware of the domestic violence happening regularly in the Pye household – because it does not concern her and seems unlikely to her. In the article Why We Don’t Hear about Male Victims of Domestic Violence Dr. Walsh points out that “male victims often experience a ‘crisis of masculinity’, and there is not a lot of space in society for them because people struggle to understand how masculinity and being a victim can both be a part of someone’s identity”. In the novel Laurie Pye, Calvin Pye’s son, does not want others to know about his situation. This tragedy of domestic abuse was brought on because of the lack of self-control in Calvin Pye. He was unable to stop himself from beating and ultimately killing his son, not because the son had done somethingkikii wrong, but because Calvin had no self-control. Humans all over the world are unable to hold themselves back and that results in them doing things they will eventually regret. In our current society domestic violence against men is not heard of or common but it is an issue that everyone should be aware of. Crow Lake influences our interpretation of real-life through this subject matter because it addresses the topic, gives us information on why the topic is important, and is strikingly realistic.
Crow Lake shows how the lack of self-control in humans can lead to tragedy – one of the tragedies being emotional abuse. The novel translates our problems into real life by showing us how people can, without knowing it, emotionally abuse others because of their lack of knowledge or decisions they have made. The main character Kate, in her adulthood, sees Matt (her older brother) as an unhappy man – because he was unable to follow through with his university dreams. Kate later attends university but her brother Matt’s making her feel as if she cannot speak to him in the same way that she used to. At one point in her adulthood Kate said “He was waiting for me to go on, to describe my work to him, but I could not bring myself to do that” (Lawson 275). This connects with the subject matter of emotional abuse because Kate is hurting her older brother Matt. She does not realize that he wants to speak with her and have a relationship with her – she feels that because of her university education she cannot interact with him anymore. In the real world many people face emotional abuse. People are ostracized for many reasons including level of intellect or the decisions they have made. Family members and close friends have changed their loved one’s lives because of their opinions of them. In the article Nature vs. Nurture: Mental Illness Triggered By Life Events And Not Through Genetics it is stated that “despite the fact that genetics can potentially influence the individual’s mental health, traumatic events are still considered as the most influential factor”. The traumatic event of their parent’s dying resulted in Matt making bad decisions and then later not going university as a result. This caused the greatest tragedy in the novel; the loss of the relationship between Kate and Matt. Kate began to speak less with Matt and when she came to visit him he suffered from anxiety, lack of sleep, etc. Kate stopped talking to Matt even though she was a vital part of his life – which was emotional abuse against him without knowing it. In modern day society many people abuse others for reasons they find plausible and one small mistake could cause a shift in the victim’ lives forever. Crow Lake influences our interpretation of real-life through giving an example of indirect emotional abuse and linking it to problems it could cause. As a result we see the consequences of emotional abuse and have a different approach of how someone should communicate with others.
This novel shows us how sex without conscent is a huge problem in our society and many sacrifices have to be made as a result. In Crow Lake Matt has sex with his teenage friend which results in pregnancy and Matt having to give up his university plans in order to support his future son. In the novel, as a result of Matt’s decision, Kate Morrison remarked that “It seemed to me you could define my brothers’ life by one moment, and it was the same moment for both of them. With Luke, it was the moment he pushed himself away. With Matt, it was the moment he did not” (Lawson 255). In present-day society many young adults have intercourse while uneducated and without thinking of the repercussions. In the article Between Sex and Abstinence, There Is Education and Choice author Alicia Izharuddin states that “We must engage with and question the rhetoric of abstinence.” Izharuddin is essentially basing her article around how the two partners must question whether or not sex is right for them at the moment. This situation changed the Kate-Matt relationship because Matt felt as if he had let his whole family down. Kate tried to understand why their relationship changed without success but eventually reconciled with her brother. This fairy tale ending is not to be expected in reality because not everyone can forgive and forget the way Kate did. Crow Lake influences readers’ interpretation of real-life because it shows the reader how neglecting the repercussions of a serious decision could end badly – which is why a person’s future commitments should be scrutinized.
Mary Lawson’s Crow Lake influences people’s interpretation of the real world by connecting to tragedy and self-control through issues such as domestic abuse, emotional abuse, and underage sex. Mary Lawson started the novel with the death of two immediate family members of the Morrison children and it seems to the reader as if the struggle in the novel is to remain with each other as a family and come to terms with the loss. However, as the story progresses it is shown that the most significant tragedy is the destruction of the relationship between Matt and Kate. Lawson is trying to show how situations can change and the modern reader must always be aware of their actions and surroundings – because at any moment their lives may change forever.