Griswold family christmas

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By: Heath Cormier Family Collage The Griswold Family Christmas

Transcript of Griswold family christmas

By: Heath Cormier

Family CollageThe Griswold Family Christmas

Why the Griswold’s?

It’s about that time of year and I feel like the Griswold’s are certainly one of the most unique families in all of television.

They keep you rolling on the floor laughing, but they also show how dysfunctional a family can be. In the end they also show how a family can overcome stress and become closer in the

process.

Clark Griswold

Clark Griswold is the obvious leader and bread winner in the family. Although some of his ideas aren’t the best ones, the

family never argues against him. The family actually spent the entire day out in the middle of the woods looking for the

“perfect christmas tree”.

Ellen Griswold

Ellen Griswold is the “peace-keeper” of the family. She knows that some of Clark’s decisions aren’t the best, but she

sticks by him. (EX. tree in the middle of the woods.)

Audrey Griswold

Audrey Griswold is the eldest of two children of Clark and Ellen Griswold. She always find a way to add in a sharp remark

or something sarcastic.

Russ Griswold

Russ Griswold is the youngest in the family. He never argues with his dad but always likes to question his dad’s actions. Russ is Clark’s helper when it comes to putting up the lights

on the house.

Marital/Partnership Maintenance

They seem like they know how to maintain their relationship even when it feels like the sky is falling.

They aren’t the “lovy-dovy” couple but seems like they know how to get along even if Clark drags Ellen deep

into the woods looking for a christmas tree. Confirming messages are the cornerstone of relational maintenance

(112).

Family Roles and TypesAs I explained earlier, Clark is the bread-winner of the family. He has a high-paying job and we

never know what Ellen has for a job. Clark is the dominant leader of the family. Ellen is the “peace-keeper” of the family. She assures everything will be okay even if they spend all day

long in the woods looking for a tree. Audrey is the “provoker” because she always has a smart remark to everything and she hates her younger brother. Russ is the quiet and modest son.

Within families, roles are established, grown into, grown through, discussed, negotiated, worked on, and accepted or rejected (150).

Family stress

The holidays became a very stressful time for the Griswold family. First their huge family decides to visit for Christmas making Clark and Ellen very tense. Eddie who is Clark’s cousin shows up unexpectedly to the

house with his whole family. (left) It takes Clark almost two whole nights to finally get his Christmas lights working on the house.(right) Plus a squirrel finds it’s way into their Christmas tree and everybody freaks out. (middle) Major unforeseen events alter development patterns

(241).

Cohesion

It seems like this family is always fighting and arguing, but when it comes down to it all they prove a different story. Clark and Ellen do a great job of keeping the in-laws from killing each

other at the house.“Throughout the lifespan, the everyday interactions among family members have the potential

to have a tremendous impact on individuals (308).”

Conclusion

“Families comprise people who have a shared history and a shared future. They encompass the entire emotional system of at least three, and frequently now four or

even five, generations held together by blood, legal, and or/historical ties. Relationships with partners, siblings, and other family members go through transitions

as they move along the life cycle .” -Betty Carter and Monica McGlodrick

The Griswold’s clearly showed how crazy a family can be. They also showed how much adversity and stress can be

overcome and make the family bond even stronger. At the end of the movie the family does come together.

Works citedhttp://www.onepagewonder.com/christmas_vacation.htm

http://theawesome80s.net/?p=465

http://www.clarkgriswoldcollection.com/index.php/clark-w-griswold/

http://hellogiggles.com/everything-i-need-to-know-i-learned-from-christmas-vacation

http://tailgate365.com/2011/12/the-top-10-christmas-films-from-ebenezer-scrooge-to-clark-griswold/