Short Fiction: A Response to Hillbilly Elegy

          In Dorothy Allison's memoir Two or Three Things, she expresses the complexities of her family.  Allison describes a school assignment she had as a young girl to make a family tree. She summarizes this segment of her life earlier on as "two or three things, I know for sure, and one of them is the way you can both hate and love something you are not sure you understand" (7). Her claim appears to stem from the fact as much as she loves her family she hates them too. Their un-traditional makeup and origins are beyond her understanding so she finds herself hating her family. As her mother states, "Around her parentage is even more dangerous than politics" (10). In other words, the discussion on family makeups is like stepping into uncharted waters. On the other hand, she loves them for reasons she can't fathom. All she sees is the good in her family, which is seen when she asks her mother, "Why is it to dangerous" (10). Through her memory of making a family tree, Allison reveals the feelings that make up her family. 

         In my own experience, I can say the making (or the attempt to make) a family tree has revealed to me how I perceive my family. When making a family tree often times you find yourself learning truths that skew the view of your family, as was the case of Allison. Unlike Allison, whose family truths had to do with lineage, I found mine more in learning the about the types of people I actually come from. However, like Allison, I still find myself loving family members of the past and those of the present even if I don't understand it myself. And sometimes I have some loathing for reasons unknown to myself. Learning about your background can skew one's understanding of their family, and allow them to love and hate at the same time. 

         Overall, I believe my analyzing Allison's perception of her family and my own the importance of a family institution is seen. Allison summarizes the dynamic of family strongly with her quote. Family can be both loved and hated even if you don't fully understand the origins of your feelings.