French Braid

One theme that stands out powerfully in French Braid is that the Garrett family members are disaffected: Across the board, they do not understand one another, do not enjoy one another, do not grow together, have little in common, and show little desire or ability to overcover the emotional distance between them. Tyler emphasizes this theme by demonstrating how it pervades a narrative spanning five generations—including Mercy’s father and Serena’s son—over 60 years. The eight separate episodes from the life of the family each uniquely bear out the dysfunction, dislike, and distance that characterize the Garrett family. Chronologically, the theme begins with Tyler noting that Mercy’s father, Mr. Wellington, constantly found fault with his son-in-law despite Robin’s devotion to the company Wellington entrusted to him. Eight decades later, Alice expresses outrage to David that Lily has remarried without telling anyone in the family—just as Alice expressed outrage to Lily when David married Greta without telling her. Symbolically, the clearest image of the family unit comes from Alice as she looks back toward the beach from the lake and sees a scene resembling a French Impressionist painting of people gathering at water.