Comapring Father/Daughter Relationships in King Lear and...

Father/Daughter Relationships in King Lear and A Thousand Acres The bond between a father and a daughter stands as one of the strongest emotional bonds present within many families. From the moment their little girls emerge from the womb to the moment their young women marry, the father reigns as the head of the household, the controller, and the protector. Though this rings true for many families, sometimes Daddys little girls make all the rules. They possess the ability to acquire what they want through their incessant whining, crying, and batting of their eyelashes. Daddys little girls assert control over most situations and possess negotiating skills that rival those of the best Wall Street stockbrokers. Pulling at Daddys†¦show more content†¦King Lear wants to give his favorite daughter Cordelia the kingdom, but Cordelia remains unable to acquire the land with her being the youngest and not the eldest. Lear then devises the love test to avoid the order of succession rule. The love test is childish, foolish--but very human (13 Knight ). He loves her so much that he wants her to have everything. During the love test, Goneril and Regan smother the king with exaggerated words of praise and pretended love, but Cordelia tells Lear that she loves him, According to my bond, no more, no less (I.i.94). Lear flies into a rage upon hearing this because he provides his favorite daughter with a chance to profess her love, and she refuses. This hurts him so he divides the kingdom between Goneril and Regan. Cordelia knows that her sisters possess a fierce hatred of cruelty and deceitful wickedness (117 Harbage). She warns them to take care of their father saying, Time shall unfold what plighted cunning hides,/Who covers faults, at last with shame derides ( I.i.283). She knows that sooner or later their darkness will come to the light. Larry Cook serves as the Lear-like character in A Thousand Acres. Unfortunately, alcoholism stands as his fatal flaw, and in a drunken state he cuts his favorite daughter, Caroline out of her share of land. Caroline feels uncertain about farming the land so she simply says, I dont know(38 Smiley). Carolines statement hardly