A Death in the Family by James Agee Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of A Death in the Family
Book Review: Contains the extraordinary "Knoxville: Summer of 1915"
Summary: 4 Stars
I came to this novel after reading extensively in the film criticism of James Agee, who was easily one of the great reviewers the genre has seen. As one critic pointed out, in his criticism, Agee takes the reader into the film, and not to concerns extraneous to the film, like so many reviewers (such as Pauline Kael, who writes beautifully, but whose comments sometimes seem to have very little to do with the film in question). After reading his film criticism, I have to confess that I was somewhat disappointed by this novel. It was good, but it did not stand out in any way. So, if all this volume had to offer was the novel itself, I would be able to recommend it, but without too much enthusiasm.
But thankfully, that is not the case. In addition to the text of the novel A DEATH IN THE FAMILY, the volume contains as a sort of preface one of the most extraordinary short pieces in 20th century American fiction, the amazing "Knoxville: Summer of 1915." This piece was not written as part of the novel, but the editors of the volume wisely included it because both dealt with Knoxville. Also, the piece is so amazing that I am certain that they also wanted to include it so that it would not so easily get lost.
I read A DEATH IN THE FAMILY once. I have probably read "Knoxville: Summer of 1915" a good dozen times. So, if the idea of purchasing a book for the sake of a mere five pages seems extravagant, ask yourself, how many books do we reread bits of even a couple of times?
The piece, which was turned into a marvelous composition for voice by Samuel Barber, records the impressions of a typical summer evening, with the narrator a young child. The descriptions are so precise and tactile, that the reader almost feels as if his or her own impressions are being recorded. And despite being merely the record of an average evening moving from late afternoon to dusk to evening, Agee is able to make of it something universal and sad and metaphysical. There are many, many fine moments in this piece, from the first paragraph {beginning "We are talking now of summer evenings in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the time that I lived there so successfully disguised to myself as a child") to the absolutely amazing final paragraph (ending: "Those receive me, who quietly treat me, as one familiar and well-beloved in that home: but will not, oh, will not, not now, not ever; but will not ever tell me who I am").
I am not sure how strongly I would recommend this volume if it were for the novel alone, but anyone who loves great writing needs to own this volume so as to own one of the great short pieces in American literature.
Book Review: Death, religion, family and hurt feelings
Summary: 4 Stars
I do not know much about James Agee's personal history, but one wonders whether there was a degree of biography in this profound account of a family torn apart by an untimely death. The time and setting certainly fit with Agee's own upbringing. In any event, he poignantly captures the conflicting emotions of a wife who is trying to cope with the loss of her partner and mate in his prime, and how to reconcile that loss with her strong, self-effacing religious beliefs. The church, or religion in general, is not given a good face in this work, particularly in the guise of the Catholic Father, and in the struggle that Mary undergoes in trying to be strong and suppressing her emotional grief, in the name of that religion. I was appalled by the stern and unforgiving body language and words conveyed by the priest towards the young children who had just been given news of their father's death. His actions and attitudes may be a sign of those times, but the reactions of the children towards the priest, of guilt, shame and conflictedness, when all they should have felt was comfort and consolation, demonstrates the type of stern and unyielding religious arrogance that is at the heart of this story. Obviously, religious conflict had a long and divisive, in some senses unspoken, history in the family profiled here. Those differences exploded after the tragedy occurred. Also, the reactions and feelings of Rufus in particular, and also his younger sister, and his sense of pride and accomplishment in telling of his father's death to his schoolmates, is shocking, yet real. A child cannot adequately come to terms with the finality of death, and perhaps the saddest line in the book is Rufus pondering whether news of his father's death might prompt some of his schoolmates (who he obviously feels intimidated by and fearful of) to share their lunches with him. His reactions are bewildered, and his mother is unable to console him or help him cope with the devastation of his father's death, with she herself struggling with whether to grieve or praise God. This is a very profound work and while parts of it were difficult to access - some of the large parts in italics - the emotion was raw and real. It is a story I will remember for a long time.Book Review: Eerie Insight into Human Nature
Summary: 4 Stars
Agee has done something utterly amazing through this lyrical, slow-moving work. You often feel as if you moving through a dream - or, perhaps, a world running in slow motion where you can anticipate what will happen but you can't do anything to stop it.As the book starts off, a boy is making a trip to town with his dad. The boy worries about making his dad proud. The dad worries about his boy's perception of him. The dad is also incredibly lonely...and you begin to get attached to him, but you don't want to get too attached because you know he won't be around too much longer. (My apologies if this ruins the story, but I'm pretty sure this is well known.)
As you become introduced to the rest of the characters, you realize that everyone is honorable (for the most part) and that their internal concerns & worries just comes out of their being human. For example, though the father is lonely, it's not because he has a horrible wife. In fact, he has a wonderful wife...but he is trying to wade through the complexity of relationships, internal peace and life in general. And so are all the characters.
The story progresses slowly, predictably, and you watch as the characters all act & react in various ways. Agee allows you to see the world through each character's eyes, and then how the world perceives that character. This narrative style leaves you feeling compassionate for each member of the family whereas it would normally be easy to be annoyed with or dismissive of many of the characters.
It is also worth mentioning how honest and thoughtful Agee is in showing his characters' motivations and flaws. When the little boy learns that his father has died, the loss completely goes over his head. Instead, he tries to leverage this event for popularity from the schoolchildren. "Surely they will be nice to me today," he thinks.
Later, when the mother kneels to pray, her aunt has amazing insight that the mother is praying not from her heart but rather from pride - praying what she thinks a holy woman would pray in such a circumstance. Such commentary on our actions and motivations can hit a little close to home...but I believe it must have come from his own experience. He never condemns his characters...he just lets them be fully human.
As I said in the beginning, I believe this work to be a true masterpiece. Though I was often horrified by the true despairing picture he portrayed, my mind was also deeply impressed by the truth he conveyed. And he does give hope, after his own fashion.
Book Review: Eloquent Portrayal of Loss
Summary: 4 Stars
A Death in the Family is a timeless novel about the impact death causes within a family. The story is told through Rufus Follet, a six-year-old who loses his father in a car accident. This novel beautifully illustrates the numb reaction of family members to death. Agee uses the technique of flashbacks to give the reader background on some of the characters. Agee died while perfecting A Death in the Family and had not yet inserted these sections, so the publishers placed them at the beginning of each part of the novel. Because these flashbacks are not inserted logically, they are somewhat confusing, but they are not worthless. Flashbacks develop Rufus' personality and his longing to be accepted. They illustrate his relationship with his father and why he reacts in the manner that he does to his father's death. These flashbacks also reveal what life was like before the accident and how that happiness died along with Jay. They also give a detailed description of a middle class neighborhood in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1915.
The story also illustrates the conflict between a man's wife and immediate family after his death. This conflict is portrayed through Jay's brother, Ralph. Ralph is an undertaker and wants to take care of Jay's body because he feels responsible for the death. It was his drunken phone call that caused Jay to drive out to see his family. Mary does not want Ralph to be the undertaker because Jay's body is already being taken care of and she does not want to move it. Ralph's feelings are hurt, but he can not do anything because a widow's wishes are more important than those of the family.
Agee takes a critical tone towards the Catholic religion and especially with its priests. My favorite scene is the episode where Mary can feel the presence of her husband in the room. It brings up the conflict between Mary's father and her brother Andrew, who do not believe in God, and Mary and her aunt Hannah, who are strong believers of Catholicism. Agee showed his view of priests through the children's reaction to Father Jackson, the priest that visits their mother. The children listen in on their mother's conversation with the priest and feel that he is trying to hurt and defeat her. The children also fear the priest, and Rufus feels that his father would have killed him if he were still alive.
One of the most poignant scenes in the novel occurs when Mary has to tell her children that their father is dead. Rufus understands almost right away that his father has died and he will never see him again. But his younger sister Catherine has a little more trouble. As their aunt is explaining the details of their father's death, Catherine asks the innocent question, "When's Daddy coming home?" My eyes welled up at reading this scene.
I liked this book because it portrays an event that people can relate to at some time or another in their own lives. Agee did a wonderful job at giving the story the numb feeling that members of a family often feel immediately after a death. The characters are well developed and I found it easy to relate to them. I would recommend this book to those who have recently suffered a loss.
Book Review: Even after 30 some years, it's still one of the best
Summary: 5 Stars
I first read this book in the mid-60's when I was still in high school - I read both the novel and the play that it became (All the Way Home). It was and still is one of my favorites and I am anxious to get my hands on a copy of the re-release of this wonderful story of a family and their loss. I'll read it again as if I were visiting with a long lost friend.