The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
**Overview of "The Corrections" by Jonathan Franzen**
"The Corrections" is a novel that delves into the complexities of family dynamics through the lens of the Lambert family, focusing on their struggles and interpersonal conflicts. The narrative follows Alfred Lambert, the patriarch suffering from dementia, and his wife Enid, who is preoccupied with managing their household and maintaining appearances. Their three adult children—Chip, Denise, and Gary—each grapple with their personal challenges, including professional failures, romantic entanglements, and mental health issues. Set against the backdrop of suburban life in St. Jude and various locales, the story portrays a stark yet relatable examination of contemporary American family life, marked by unfulfilled expectations and emotional turmoil.
As the Lamberts navigate their relationships, themes of alienation, societal pressures, and the quest for individual identity emerge. The plot intricately weaves together their individual narratives, highlighting the struggles with communication and the longing for connection that often underpin familial interactions. The novel's richly developed characters and their flawed connections invite readers to explore the intricacies of love, disappointment, and the pursuit of happiness within a modern context, making it a notable commentary on the American family experience.
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Subject Terms
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
- Born: August 17, 1959
- Birthplace: Western Springs, Illinois
First published: 2001
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Narrative
Time of plot: The late 1990s
Locale: The fictional midwestern town of St. Jude; New York City; Philadelphia; Lithuania
Principal Characters
Alfred Lambert,the family patriarch
Enid Lambert, his wife
Chip Lambert, their younger son
Denise Lambert, their daughter
Gary Lambert, their older son
The Story
The Lamberts are living out their retirement in the suburbs of St. Jude. Both live in an anxious state, becoming evermore conscious of an incessant ringing sound coming from somewhere inside their house. It provides a backdrop for their activity.
When the mail arrives, Enid stows it away where Alfred will not think to look. This practice makes it hard for her to keep track of the stacks of bills and notices they get. Enid is concerned about what Alfred does with all of his time. Alfred is suspicious of Enid and the mail situation. They argue about the most banal things, including furniture and how Enid redecorates the house.
Alfred and Enid have planned a vacation with Nordic Pleasurelines. When they arrive in New York, where their cruise departs, they feel out of place. Their son Chip is waiting at the airport to pick them up. The family bickers over inconsequential details and argues about the tip they give to the taxicab driver.
At Chip’s apartment, Alfred and Enid are introduced to his girlfriend Julia, who is married to someone else. They wait for the Lamberts’ daughter, Denise, to arrive. Julia breaks it to Chip that she dislikes his recent screenplay. In her opinion, he talks about breasts too often in the manuscript. Julia leaves in a huff, possibly having broken up with him.
When Denise arrives, Chip runs off to retrieve his script from a film producer named Eden. His mind drifts to thinking about the romantic relationship he had with one of his students that got him fired. Melissa was an unabashed student enrolled in his class. While doing an analysis of corporate advertisements, she launched into a tirade against Chip and his teaching style. They were back on good terms after she brought him cupcakes. In the following week, he made dinner for her and they had sex, becoming entangled in a drug-addled love affair.
Back in Chip’s place, Denise and her parents discuss Chip’s furniture. Alfred has a difficult time adjusting to the apartment and reflects on his career in railroad engineering. The family discusses Christmas plans. It becomes controversial where they should spend it. Enid proposes hosting all their children in St. Jude.
On the streets of New York, Chip phones Eden’s office to intercept the manuscript. After finding Eden at her office in Tribeca, she assures him that his relationship with Julia is over. She introduces him to Julia’s husband Gitanas, with whom Eden works, successfully landing him a well-paying job involving shady Lithuanian transactions that defraud American investors.
Denise and her parents hastily make it to the pier in time to catch the cruise ship. Missing his family, Chip hurries back to his apartment to pack for Lithuania.
Gary Lambert, the eldest son of the Lamberts, is the vice president of a bank and an alcoholic. He is obsessive compulsive about monitoring the chemical levels of his brain as self-assurance that he is not depressed. He resents his wife, Caroline. While Gary is working inside their house, Caroline supposedly hurts her back playing soccer with the children. Believing his wife and children are a manipulative force in his life, he suspects her of lying about her back.
A phone call from Enid interrupts Gary and Caroline. His mother wants to know about Christmas in St. Jude, which prompts an agonizing family argument. Gary, who has invested quite a sum of money in the Axon Corporation, then discusses finances with his father. Soon after, Denise calls Gary requesting that they meet for lunch to discuss family matters.
Abroad the Gunnar Myrdal, Enid and Alfred are having difficulty sleeping. Alfred’s mind wanders, and he thinks about his career as a railroad engineer and his tormented marriage. In a dream state, he has an argument with talking feces and cries for Enid’s help, who is sleeping soundly with the help of pharmaceuticals. Not particularly confident in her ability to perform in social situations, Enid feels unhinged while on the cruise.
As a young adult, Denise shows herself to be a competitive and versatile worker, as her father had been. After going to culinary school, her old friend Brian Callahan, a recent millionaire, offers Denise the head chef position at his restaurant. The complicated sexual web that ensues between Denise, Brian, and his wife Robin eventually gets Denise fired, however.
Chip, who finds the financial racket in Lithuania to be in turmoil, books a flight home to St. Jude for Christmas. When Gary arrives at the Lamberts’, Enid is disappointed to see that his son Jonah is not with him. Jonah has a fever. Denise, committed to staying with the family for some time after losing her job, arrives soon after. The family carries on in their usual manner, pestering and nagging. Enid anxiously awaits Chip’s arrival, saving food and champagne for him.
After Gary finds Alfred’s gun, Denise goes downstairs to check on him and catches him giving himself an enema. Due to civic unrest in Lithuania, Chip’s travel plans have to be rearranged, but he manages to get to St. Jude in time to spend Christmas morning with the family. Alfred, suffering from dementia, is momentarily unable to recognize Chip and is nearly violent with him.
Alfred is taken to a doctor at the physical therapy wing of St. Luke’s hospital. His health is failing. Enid visits him regularly. Denise gets a new restaurant job and buys her mother a ticket to come for a visit in New York. They recognize that the Lambert house is more pleasant when Alfred is not around. He dies in a senior citizens facility.
Bibliography
Annesley, James. "Market Corrections: Jonathan Franzen and the ‘Novel of Globalization.’" Journal of Modern Literature 29.2 (2006): 111–28. Literary Reference Center. Web. 31 May 2014. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=20371758&site=ehost-live>.
Carroll, Joseph. "Correcting for The Corrections: A Darwinian Critique of a Foucauldian Novel." Style 47.1 (2013): 87–118. Literary Reference Center. Web. 31 May 2014. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=87567979&site=ehost-live>.
Poole, Ralph J. "Serving the Fruitcake, or Jonathan Franzen’s Midwestern Poetics." Midwest Quarterly 49.3 (2008): 263–83. Literary Reference Center. Web. 31 May 2014. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=31890828&site=ehost-live>.
Wilhite, Keith. "Contested Terrain: The Suburbs as Region." American Literature 84.3 (2012): 617–44. Literary Reference Center. Web. 31 May 2014. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=79730810&site=ehost-live>.