INTERPRETATION OF FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS IN JOYCE CAROL OATES’S WORKS

Abstract

This study explores the interpretation of family relationships in the works of Joyce Carol Oates, focusing primarily on her novel We Were the Mulvaneys (1996). Oates’s fiction frequently delves into the psychological, moral, and social dimensions of American family life, exposing the fragile balance between affection, trauma, and social expectations. The research examines how Oates portrays family as both a source of identity and suffering, emphasizing the effects of social class, gender roles, and moral conflicts. The study applies an analytical-descriptive method, combining literary criticism and sociopsychological interpretation to identify the author’s philosophical approach to familial bonds. The findings reveal that Oates’s representation of family relationships reflects broader American anxieties about morality, individualism, and the decline of traditional values. Her characters’ struggles illustrate how the disintegration of the family unit mirrors societal instability and moral uncertainty in contemporary America.