Analysis Family Resembances

Analysis: “Family Resemblances” Jennifer Nathanson’s essay is likely to elicit a smile from readers who have gone through a similar metamorphosis. Her changing feelings and attitudes towards her mother are not so different from those experienced by many other people. Indeed our perceptions tend to change a bit as we age. What once upset us now delights us. As an adolescent Nathanson was uncomfortable being likened to her mother, but over time she began …

…that verify the likeness between Nathanson and her mother. Her newfound attitude is also revealed in paragraph 9 when she says, “Pride welled up inside of me” (220). Paragraphs 12 and 13 complete the transformation Nathanson introduced at the start of the essay. The similarities between mother and daughter are undeniable and well accepted by this point in the essay. Nathanson suggests that ideas, which once were embarrassing, are now positive reminders of the change from adolescent to adult.