| Publication Type | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Year | 2026 |
| Author(s) | Dr.J.Sakthi Kumaar |
| Journal Name | Asian Journal of Research Scholars |
| Volume, Issue | 3, 7 |
| Pagination | 1-6 |
| Article Type | Paper |
| DOI | https://doi.org/ |
Family, social structure, survival, separation, emotional development, divorce, parental irresponsibility.
Family has long served as a primary object of examination for scholars studying social structures and their role in shaping human destiny. The growth rate in divorce, increasing cohabitation, declining interest in formal marriage, and decreasing birth rates particularly in American society generated significant concern among family theorists and sociologists. Because family functions as the essential bridge mediating between the individual and society, defining its boundaries remains complex as its meaning varies across cultures and historical eras. This study provides a comprehensive familial analysis of survival in Edith Wharton’s 1928 novel The Children. Set against the backdrop of wealthy American expatriates in Europe, the novel illustrates the devastating consequences of parental divorce, remarriage, and domestic abandonment on children. Uti-lizing psychological, economic and sociological theoretical frameworks including insights from Sigmund Freud, William Goode, and Andrew J. Cherlin—this paper examines how parental irresponsibility disinte-grates the family institution and forces young individuals to fight for emotional survival. The study reveals how Wharton critiques the commodification of marriage and underscores the plight of children left to navigate a fragmented social landscape.