In what ways are the Litvinoffs a traditional family? In what ways are they nontraditional?
The fact that they got married labels them "traditional" and then they chose to live in a dwelling by themselves as a nuclear unit is very contemporary/western traditional. The way they raised their children, or didn't -- depending upon your particular opinion of their parenting skills or lack thereof -- would be a component of their nontraditional lifestyle. They exposed their children to many ideas and elements, situations in life, that a more traditional parent would not. The family situation was an interesting mix, but it is very clear that the family as it functioned was reflective of Joel and Audrey's selfish, self-centered characters. In Audrey's case, I'll add self-serving, which I don't think applies to Joel.
What constitutes family in The Believers and what function does family serve?
For most of the book, I think what constitues family in The Believers is the contemporary nuclear family unit. For all their leftist leanings, they were "just like everyone else" for those of us who grew up in the west and really not so special at all. Thinking about what function the family served for itself, I really can't see that it did much to serve any of them, except maybe for Audrey. She needed them as part of her identity.
How does the idea of a "tribe," introduced by Audrey at Joel's memorial service, reflect the state of the modern family, for better and for worse?
For better or for worse, I think the modern family, in the west, has become somewhat of a free-for-all. And with this blending and shaking and stiring (personal mobility, divorce, remarriage, step-parents, step-children, step-siblings, half-siblings, the associated relatives and ex-relatives that come with the package--and sometimes -- as in The Believers -- a significant love liaison, and also non-traditional couples raising children), the idea of a "tribe" is necessary, I think, to hold it all together. We have had to redefine ourselves and create liaisons to meet our emotional needs and the emotional needs of our children. We created a new definition of family and belonging. I think we, globally in our societies, began to feel very "lonely" -- an aloneness that we, as a species are not programmed for yet by evolution -- and maybe even a little off-balance in our nuclear units and have recreated the extended family of the past but defined it in a 21st century way that fits the realities of our societies as they exist today. As for the "tribe" that Audrey touts at Joel's funeral, it's a farce. She is merely saving face and making a play to grab control. There was no sincerety in it and if the book were to continue, I would expect the truth would find its way into the light and her house of cards would topple at some point. Truth does not stay undiscovered forever.
