how do members of johns family namely john himself, his father stanley and his mother susana relate to one another

Stanley is John's father. He is a Calvinist preacher who has subscribed to white European notions of religion and education. Stanley is stern and controlling, referring to his adult son as "the boy" throughout the story. John is afraid of his father and what Stanley would do if he found out about Wamuhu's pregnancy. The narrator suggests that Stanley is so harsh toward John because he feels guilty that John was conceived out of wedlock.

Susana is John's mother. Though she does not buy entirely into the parenting style or religious fanaticism that Stanley forces on their family, she is also a passive character who frequently defers to her husband. She confronts him once, at the beginning of the story, telling him that he acts too harshly toward John. However, she is never able to get through to Stanley and remains a bystander in his treatment of their son.