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Sarah Moon
Mrs. Morris
AP Literature (Block D)
3 September 2015
Family Struggles in Animal Dreams
Many people can relate to the conflict between a parent and child and such a conflict can
also be found within literature. In Barbara Kingsolvers Animal Dreams, the author depicts the
struggling relationship between Dr. Homero Noline (also known as Doc Homer) and his daughter
Codi. The conflict between Codi and Doc Homer stems from their distance, but throughout the
novel, they gradually develop their relationship and gain a deeper understanding of one another,
embodying the overall themes of family and identity.
Ever since Codi is a young girl, she has difficulty connecting with her father. Doc Homer
is a very practical man who tries to view the world objectively while separating himself from his
surroundings. Most of his relationships in the small town of Grace are strictly the relations
between a doctor and patient. The short chapters about his past are all written in third person,
which reveal his objective attitude about himself. Doc Homer manages to live independently
away from his community. However, the apathy he develops through the distance from his
community results in his distance from his daughter as he struggles to communicate with Codi.
Even though Doc Homer is aware of Codis teenage pregnancy and miscarriage, he fails to
directly tell her that he knows about her situation. Because of his trouble in communicating with
Codi, he is only able to discreetly give her medication that helps her condition after losing her
baby. Doc Homers Alzheimer disease also contributes to the conflict between him and his
daughter, since the disease deteriorates his memory and worsens his ability to communicate.

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Codi comes to his office to ask about her familys past; however, Doc Homer experiences the
memory gaps from his disease. He is confused and becomes angry He doesnt even look at
her because there is too much there, and hes afraid. (Kingsolver 174). When he finally desires
to communicate with Codi, the frequent gaps in his memory prevent him from doing so, forcing
him to change the topic in order to grasp onto the present reality. His Alzheimer disease makes it
more difficult for Codi to talk to her father, especially since she cannot differentiate between her
fathers sudden change of heart about speaking to her and his memory lapses from the disease.
Doc Homers detachment from his surroundings and his intensifying Alzheimer disease lead to
tense distance and conflict between father and daughter.
The reserved relationship of Doc Homer and Codi adds to the novels general themes of
family and identity. On top of Doc Homers failure to communicate with his children, their
mother also died when Codi was a young girl, leaving the broken family with no motherly figure.
As written in Chapter I about Doc Homer, Hes spent a lifetime noticing small details from a
distance He feels a constriction around his heart that isn't disease but pure simple pain, and he
knows he would weep if he could (4). The brief chapters concerning Doc Homers past reveal
his dejection towards the distance between him and his daughter. In one of these chapters, he
dreams of searching for his lost daughters during a flood, and because of his frequent confusions
between the past and present, he concurrently realizes that his daughters have grown up. This
dream portrays his desire for a stronger bond with his family. His identity is lost as he struggles
with the memory lapses, which makes it all the more essential for him to hold onto reality and
his identity. He relies on the recollection of his past to better understand himself and his children.
Codi discovers herself as well through her family. She realizes that she and her father are quite
similar in the way that they consider themselves as outsiders in Grace. Codis feeling as an

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outsider roots from her familial distance, caused by the misinformation about her familys history
and her withdrawn father-daughter relationship. Her attempts to overcome the conflict with her
father allows her to learn about her familys true origin in Grace, and she then finally begins to
feel a sense of belonging in the little town. Her newfound belonging gives her purpose and
strengthens her identity. The conflict between Doc Homer and Codi allows them to obtain a
greater understanding for each other, and their realizations from the conflict itself contribute to
the novels significant themes of family and identity.
The struggle between Doc Homer and Codi originates from their lack of communication,
and their resulting consideration for one another bolsters the novels themes of family and
identity. The father-daughter relationship in Kingsolvers novel consists of great trials. However,
through patience and true endearment, Doc Homer and Codi overcome their conflict, ultimately
unifying the broken family.

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Works Cited
Kingsolver, Barbara. <i>Animal Dreams: A Novel</i>. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1990.
Print.