is life. He hated his father, but loved his mother. When his mother died at a young age, he moved to Sydney. Although this point was not emphasized in the novel, it has probably affected James to a great extent. James lacked knowledge of being a good father since his own father was not a man of good morals and was never there for him. James and Materia were both raised in dysfunctional families, which greatly influenced how they raised their own family. Both James and Materia were never present for their children, physically or emotionally. Materia was left out of special occasions such as Kathleen's concert. An absence to an event such as this makes Materia feel isolated from the rest of her family. This also in returns makes Materia feel as if she is of no use to be part of this family since no one ever asks for her opinion or invite her to special events. Also, when Materia dies, the family becomes destructive. The absence of the mother figure causes chaos in the family. The three sisters have no one to turn to when they are in need of comforting and advice. This also causes Mercedes to take on an adultery role. When Mercedes was first born, Materia loved her deeply. While James was gone to war, Materia spent a lot of her time with her daughter whom she realized a close connection with. Unfortunately, when Materia passed away, Mercedes felt like she should take on her mother's role. She first takes a big role by being the godmother o
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