Family

 

The Inheritance of my Father: A Story for Listening is a story about a man's home country and a child's dream to visit where her father is from. The child dreamed about going to her father's homeland to see where he came from. It is important to know where you come from especially where your parents came from. It gives the individual a sense of belonging to a certain culture and background. The child's grandmother which was the mother of the child's father wanted her grandchild to visit so badly that she would call the home every day and tell her to come to visit. The grandmother was still in her homeland and she knew she didn't have much time left on the earth. So, she needed to see her grandchild before passing on. The grandmother had a large piece of property back where she lived. She would have given the property to her son when she passed on but since he moved away and disobeyed her, she decided to give it to her grandchild instead. "Everything that our eye looks at on this plantation and everything out ear hears on this plantation and everything our hand touches on this plantation is my grandchild's, and therefore my grandchild has to learn our secrets as well"(The Inheritance of my Father: A Story for Listening, Astrid Roemer). 

 

The young girl in this story doesn’t feel a sense of belonging due to the little knowledge she has of her father’s home country. She feels like she is missing a part of herself and she needs to find it in this country. She needs to meet her lost family to feel whole and complete. The girl believes that if she knows her father’s lineage and history it will make her feel whole again. The girl felt emotionally and physically ill due to not understanding where she came from. When she finally met her father's family, she felt a sense of togetherness and unity. His family made her feel whole again and she didn’t feel like she was missing anything. In a sense, she found her identity of who she is. Her grandmother is exactly what she imagined. The grandmother had a strong sense of family and togetherness because she didn’t leave the plantation to her son. Her son went to the United States, so she decided to give the plantation to his daughter. 

 

Throughout the story, there is also the thought in the back of the girl’s head about how she has a mother too. “My darling, whatever you may experience in your fatherland, do not forget that there is also a woman who had given you a motherland! (Astrid Roemer, The Inheritance of my Father: A Story for Listening). She has a family on her other side too. Her mother has a motherland where she has another grandmother, grandfather, and cousins. Her mother is telling her that there is more than just her father’s side. Family is important on sides, mother and father. It is important to not just focus on one side and forget the other.