The Artificial Family by Anne Tyler
"The Artificial Family" by Anne Tyler explores the complexities of family dynamics through the story of Toby Scott and Mary Glover. When Toby meets Mary, he is captivated by her appearance and quickly becomes interested in her, despite her having a daughter, Samantha. The narrative unfolds as Toby attempts to integrate into Mary and Samantha's lives, navigating the mystery surrounding Mary’s past and the challenges of forming a new family unit.
As Toby grows emotionally attached to both Mary and Samantha, he grapples with feelings of inadequacy and the pressures of step-parenting, especially as he experiences a lack of intimacy from Mary. Their marriage faces scrutiny from Toby's family, who question the nature of their “artificial” family. Tensions rise when differing parenting styles and values emerge, leading to a rift between Toby and Mary. Ultimately, Mary's departure leaves Toby devastated, highlighting themes of loss, longing, and the fragility of familial bonds. The novel poignantly examines the depths of love and the challenges of blending lives in the pursuit of connection.
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The Artificial Family by Anne Tyler
First published: 1975
Type of plot: Domestic realism
Time of work: The 1980's
Locale: Baltimore, Maryland
Principal Characters:
Toby Scott , a graduate studentMary Glover , an art gallery workerSamantha Glover , Mary's daughter
The Story
When Toby Scott meets Mary Glover at a party, he is immediately impressed by her long hair and old-fashioned gingham dress. Afraid that he might not see her again, he asks her to dinner immediately. Mary tells the eager bachelor that she has a daughter, but Toby does not know if this means that she is married or is simply unwilling to date.
Samantha Glover, Mary's daughter, is a somber five-year-old who dresses like her mother, in floor-length dresses. The impression that Mary and Samantha make together is that of stoic pioneers riding a wagon train across the prairie.
Samantha accompanies her mother when Toby asks her out. On a trip to the Baltimore zoo, Samantha sits between Toby and Mary as they look at animals. Mary never volunteers any information about her first marriage or Samantha's father. When Toby inquires, Mary refuses to answer any questions, revealing only that she ran away after two years of marriage. Her previous life remains mysterious.
Toby's feelings for Mary and Samantha deepen. When Mary mentions that she has child-care problems, Toby volunteers to watch Samantha himself. Mary works in an art gallery with fixed hours, while Toby can easily adjust his own schedule. Despite Toby's offer to watch Samantha, Mary keeps paying her teenage baby-sitter. Toby fears losing Mary because his graduate student life lacks warm human relations.
After knowing each other only five months, Toby and Mary are married. Toby's parents object to his brief courtship and the fact that Toby is acquiring a ready-made daughter. Although Toby questions his ability to love his own biological children—were he ever to have them—he finds that he can easily warm to loving Samantha.
Toby envies the resolve with which Mary carried Samantha from her presumably troubled first marriage. She took no clothing, jewelry, or personal belongings of any kind. As if fleeing from a burning building, Mary simply snatched away the only thing that really mattered: Samantha. Toby wonders about the strength of the relationships that he is forming with Mary and Samantha. For some reason, Mary is reluctant to enter compassionately into their marital union. Overly concerned with Toby's privacy, she never even enters his office—the spare bedroom. She even places a no-entry sign above his door, even though he has said that he was always alone at his lab and does not want to be alone at home. Although Toby attempts to bond emotionally with Mary and her daughter, Mary scrupulously avoids close personal contact.
Toby becomes a model father, playing games with Samantha, reading her stories, and giving her piggyback rides each night before bedtime. Samantha returns Toby's affection more readily than Mary does. Every evening she walks to his lab, calling him to dinner. Her attention, smiles, and warmth flatter Toby, who wonders if he would feel differently about her if she were his own daughter.
At Christmas, Toby's parents visit the newlyweds. The four days of their visit seem to drag out forever because of their tactless remarks about Toby's "artificial" family. Not knowing that the topic is forbidden, the Scotts ask many questions about Samantha's father. They also comment on the way that Mary has taken over Toby's life. Toby, Mary, and Samantha form an alliance against the Scotts, seeking refuge together in Toby's study to play dominoes. They even sneak off to the movies together.
Gradually, Toby's once private study becomes a gathering place for the new family. Toby reads, Mary sews and places her pottery around the room, and Samantha plays on the floor. Finally, the ice thaws and the marriage seems to form strong emotional, spiritual, and physical bonds. Under the influence of Toby's playfulness, Samantha grows unruly with her mother, talking back and roughhousing, in contrast to her former sullenness. Mary complains that Toby's attention is spoiling Samantha. Toby dotes on Samantha, giving her everything she wants. Toby's feelings for her strengthen. On one occasion, Toby becomes angry when Samantha steps into the street without looking; he pulls her back, feeling a deep sense of shock and nervous helplessness.
Toby becomes so confident about his fathering that he asks Mary for another baby. Toby loves Samantha so much that he wants more children to love, but Mary insists that women have less love to give than men because of the demands of housekeeping. Toby and Mary also disagree over Samantha's Easter basket. Toby gives Samantha a big prepackaged basket with chocolate, jellybeans, and candy rabbits, but Mary insists that she and Samantha observe Easter differently, and she resents having to be the parent who says no to treats. Although Samantha enjoys receiving the candy, Toby senses that he has lost the battle. Once again Mary grows distant and emotionless.
After Samantha finishes the first grade in school, Mary leaves Toby for good. The only message that she leaves for him simply says, "I've gone." Devastated, Toby puts his head in his hands and thinks about how he can find his family. After eating a sandwich that Mary has made for him, he runs to Samantha's school, dodging cars. He feels the same kind of grief felt by a parent whose child has died. After Samantha's teacher tells him that she has not been at school, Toby walks home in a daze. He lies down on the sofa without turning on lights. He knows that he will find Mary's and Samantha's clothes in their closets. Once again, the only things that they have taken away are their gingham dresses and themselves.
Bibliography
Bail, Paul. Anne Tyler: A Critical Companion. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1998.
Croft, Robert W. An Anne Tyler Companion. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1998.
Evans, Elizabeth. Anne Tyler. New York: Twayne, 1993.
Kissel, Susan S. Moving On: The Heroines of Shirley Ann Grau, Anne Tyler, and Gail Godwin. Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1996.
Petry, Alice Hall. Critical Essays on Anne Tyler. New York: G. K. Hall, 1992.
Petry, Alice Hall. Understanding Anne Tyler. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1990.
Salwak, Dale. Anne Tyler as Novelist. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1994.
Stephens, C. Ralph. The Fiction of Anne Tyler. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1990.
Sweeney, Susan Elizabeth. "Anne Tyler." In The History of Southern Women's Literature, edited by Carolyn Perry and Mary Louise Weaks. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2002.