Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant Literary Elements

Fiction

A small town in Baltimore in the 20th century.

The novel is presented by a third person omniscient narrator and follows different characters in their point of views throughout the novel.

The tone is largely apprehensive and cautious

There is no one protagonist as Pearl, Cody, Ezra, and Jenny all play central roles in different capacities through the course of the novel. Beck, however, can be considered to be the antagonist as he is one of the reasons for the brokenness of the family.

The major conflict happens very early on in the novel when Beck decides to desert the Tulls and live a life as a travelling salesman.

The novel climaxes near the end, shortly after Pearl's death. The climax occurs when the family comes together to attempt to have dinner at the Homesick Restaurant and finally manage to successfully do so, in spite of an argument between Cody and Beck during the dinner which almost caused the whole dinner to be a lost cause.

Cody's constant teasing and poking fun at Ezra foreshadows his later act of breaking up Ezra and Ruth's engagement and marrying Ruth himself instead.

The parental neglect in the upbringing of the Tull children is largely understated in the novel and its relative importance is not highlighted.

The name of Ezra's restaurant alludes to the idea that the family, while being physically present at home, actually lacks a sense of homeliness which leads them to feel homesick.

Throughout the novel, images of food are prominently used to convey ideas and evoke emotions.

The name "Homesick Restaurant" in itself is a paradox. The idea for the restaurant is for customers to have a homely meal. However, when the Tulls eat there, there is inevitably an opposite effect.

Beck and Pearl's failed relationship can be seen to parallel the two failed marriages that Jenny has.

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