37 pages • 1 hour read
Dinner At The Homesick Restaurant
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Character Analysis
Pearl Tull
Pearl is the mother of Cody, Ezra, and Jenny. After her husband, Beck, abandons the family, she resigns herself to raising three children alone. The imprint she leaves on the personalities of her children ensures that she is the most important figure in the novel. This imprint can be both positive and negative, a testament to Pearl’s complicated emotional state throughout the children’s early lives. Pearl’s poor health provides the structure of the novel. Pearl is introduced in a moment of weakness, her ill health providing an important context to the occasionally abusive behavior she exhibits later in the text. Over the course of the novel, the audience discovers the extent to which her life is something of a minor tragedy. After Beck leaves, Pearl devotes herself entirely to her children. She has no friends, no hobbies (until she becomes a baseball fan in later life), and feels in no way inclined to integrate into the community. These suggestions of tragedy and abuse are affected by the audience being introduced to Pearl at her weakest; the audience can feel greater sympathy toward her because they have witnessed firsthand how weak and vulnerable Pearl will become.
This is part of the reason why Beck becomes something of a villain in the context of the novel. Though the marriage between Pearl and Beck was far from happy, Beck is presented as a pathetic figure. Pearl chastises him and—when Beck finally leaves—she turns this pent-up fury on herself and her children. Beck leaving becomes the defining moment in Pearl’s life. She married late and has no belief that she will ever remarry. She accepts her fate with something of a monastic appetite for self-flagellation. She blames herself for ever having fallen in love with Beck so when he leaves, she can only blame herself further. This guilt, blame, and self-loathing becomes an important part of Pearl’s character. This results in an unorthodox parenting style. Pearl’s combative relationship with Cody occasionally borders on abusive (at least according to Cody), but she frequently assures herself that she has raised three successful children. Though the children are imbued with faults and flaws of their own, their ability to recognize and address these flaws is a tribute to Pearl’s strength and endurance. Though Pearl herself may be a tragic and flawed figure, she redeems herself through her children. Her funeral—the other bookend of the novel—becomes a demonstration of this, as Cody forgives Beck.
Cody Tull
Cody is the eldest of the children and the one who grows most distant from the family. Beck’s departure affects him deeply, and he blames his father for leaving the children alone with Pearl. As a result, he seems to remember Pearl’s treatment of the children as being worse than it was, and his internal rage manifests in resentment toward his brother, Ezra. While Cody rarely finds the courage to stand up to his mother (because he fears her), his resentment toward her takes the form of resentment toward his brother (Pearl’s favorite). As such, he bullies Ezra throughout his life. The pinnacle of this bullying comes when both men are adults. Even as a successful businessman, Cody cannot help but resent Ezra. When Ezra meets a woman, Cody becomes infatuated with her. Ruth is Ezra’s fiancée, but Cody slowly steals her away; eventually they elope and distance themselves from the family. Always a competitive boy, the stealing of Cody’s fiancée becomes Cody’s means of addressing his (correct) belief that Pearl always preferred Ezra. If he cannot win his mother’s love, then he will win Ruth’s instead and punish Ezra (and, by extension, Pearl) simultaneously.
The result of this is not a happy marriage. Though Ruth remains in love with Cody, Cody struggles to deal with the aftermath of what he has done. He cannot ever completely exorcise his jealousy. This metastasizes into resentment toward Ruth whenever she talks to Ezra and even in accusations that Luke (Cody and Ruth’s son) is actually Ezra’s son. This reaches a point where Cody becomes so obsessed that Luke feels forced to flee from home, hitchhiking to Baltimore. Cody’s moment of redemption comes after the death of his mother. Beck is invited to the funeral and—after Cody makes pointed remarks at the dinner—Beck leaves. Reluctantly, Cody finds Beck and—after a talk—brings Beck back to the restaurant. If Cody’s childhood was defined by his father leaving, then this provides a healing moment for Cody. He is able to bring his father back into the family fold. While Cody might not ever be able to truly be forgiven for the sins he has committed, he can at least begin to heal by reuniting his family and giving Ezra the family meal that he has always craved.
Ezra Tull
Ezra is Cody’s brother, and the two could not be more different. While Cody resents his parents for leaving and turns this resentment into a bullying, extroverted personality, Ezra remains as introverted and as absentminded as ever. Ezra may lack the social skills that might help him cope in the real world, but he demonstrates a level of emotional intelligence that is beyond the other characters. His behavior might seem strange but remains consistent; Ezra operates with a specific emotional and moral framework that, while different from the other characters, is equally as essential.
Throughout his childhood, Cody bullies Ezra. Ezra enjoys playing tunes on his whistle and puts little effort into making friends. Cody takes advantage of this introverted behavior and constantly puts Ezra at the center of his increasingly mean-spirited pranks. Whether it is turning on the faucets while Ezra is showering, trying to frame one of Ezra’s few friends for stealing Ezra’s whistle, or composing a photograph that seems to show Ezra drinking vast quantities of alcohol, Cody finds new and inventive ways of bullying his brother. However, Ezra never fails to forgive Cody. As much as Cody tries to force Ezra to hate him or attack him, Ezra never takes the bait. He remains loving and caring toward Cody, to an extent that Cody will never be able to understand.
This behavior cements Ezra’s position as Pearl’s favorite child and ensures that Cody only ever grows more resentful. Whenever Cody brings home a girl, he notices that she seems fascinated by Ezra’s strange ways. Though Ezra only acts positively toward his brother, Cody fails to comprehend Ezra’s entire character. This culminates when they are adults and Ezra falls in love. Ruth is a chef in Ezra’s restaurant, and they seem made for one another. Like Ezra, she is a social outcast and—immediately—she can discern Cody’s inherent bullying nature. Cody attempts to steal Ruth away and finally succeeds. When Cody and Ruth marry, Ezra is shattered. He assumes that this is just another of Cody’s pranks. When the realization finally dawns on him, he is broken. He becomes even more introverted. Most importantly, he does not bear a grudge. Even though Ezra never really recovers from Ruth’s departure, he is able to forgive Cody. Much to Cody’s suspicion, Ezra continues to act pleasantly toward his brother and even invites him to dinner. Even as his lowest, Ezra is able to forgive and forget.
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By Anne Tyler
