The Typical Freak Family

Yes, typical freak family. I say this because what caught my attention as a recurring theme throughout the book Geek Love was the fact that, despite their quirks and oddities, it seems the Binewski family could not escape the patterns and rivalries of the typical American family.

A most evident example is with the kids. Each have rivalries between each other, although they aren't about toys or play time. Arty secretly duals with the twins for show sales, feeling inadequate and desperate when the twins sell greater numbers, and gleaming when he wins their customers. He has the egotistical tendencies a first-born child. The twins bicker with and about Arty, as well as between them themselves about things that commonly plague teenage girls like family table seats, relationships with siblings, birthday presents, and boys. When Chick arrives, a rivalry begins on a deeper level between him and Arty, adding another dimension to the relationships and alliances between sibs. It is interesting to note, though, that Oly seems to be on the sidelines compared to the intense competition and scavenging between the other four siblings; perhaps this resembles the "middle-child" complex: there when everyone needs her but otherwise feeling barely existent.

Another example is between the parents, with Lil, a busty, model-esque picture of femininity, marrying "The Most Handsome Man in the World", Aloysius Binewski. Lil is Portrayed as a typical sort who demonstrates and intuitive fondness for her children and "tsks" while cooking for the family and family friends (pg. 112). She does not question Aloysius, the prosperous, inventive, and powerful owner of the carnival passed down to him through patriarchal lineage.

I feel like the more I look for examples of modern family tendencies, the more I notice, making their freakish and geekish traits just added quirks. I will fully accept and criticize my own reflection because there are spurts of incestuous feelings throughout the novel between Arty and his sisters that lead the reader away from this typical image... but that deserves its own blog altogether. Nonetheless, just noticing these things as I read along gave me a better ability to relate to the family, and perhaps this was the goal altogether to account for a lifestyle few could relate to in the first place.