THE RELENTLESS STRUGGLE- In A Bird in the House, Margaret Laurence develops many patterns common throughout her collection of short stories. Among these themes is the passing of character traits from one generation to another. Many of the characters develop characteristics demonstrated by their predecessors. For example, Piquette inherits traits from her family, Ewan from his father and Vanessa from her grandfather. Whether Piquette Tonnerre chooses to be a product of her environment or not, …showed first 75 words of 801 total…

…showed last 75 words of 801 total…characteristics are inherited from one generation of Laurence’s characters to the next. Piquette became her father, mother and Grandfather. She died product of her environment. Ewan was isolated and lonely as his father was. Vanessa became the man she feared and fought for so many years. These characters did not choose the people they became. They were trapped in that identity and despite the relentless struggle, they could be identified by their previous generation.