A home is part of one self in that it is a connection, or bond. The relationship between home and one's self can cause dramatic effects in one's life such as fear and anxiety. In a short essay, Mrs. Talbot Coke explains that it is not easy to part with home or a relationship. Later written in "On Going Home," Joan Didion establishes that there is discomfort in connection with home and relationships in an early American setting. Similarly, both explain that there is some uneasiness in relating home with one's self. Likewise, I can associate my own discomforting experience with home.
In Mrs. Talbot Coke's essay she writes, "One cannot walk into a ready-made home any more than into a ready-made friendship; both must be built up bit by bit until the result is felt to be almost part of one's self, and therefore not lightly to be parted with," (Coke 230). Letting go of home or any relationship can effect one's life in a dramatic way if there is a strong connection. Parting from home or someone of much meaning can bring misery upon one's self, it is not something that the average person would relish. Home is supposed to be a special place where you shelter yourself and go to for comfort. That is similar to a relationship. A relationship is supposed to be trusted, where someone can release all their inner thoughts without being criticized. Although I feel the connection with the place in which I am very familiar with, I have not experienced that comforting setting within my own home. Many of the arguments between my parents that took place in my home makes me cringe at the thought of going back to a place that resurfaced such memories. .
We also learn about the pain of home in "On Going Home" by Joan Didion. Joan talks about the memory of her problems while growing up in her home, and how the different relationships she has within her family caused those problems. Joan says, "Paralyzed by the neurotic lassitude engendered by meeting one's past at every turn, around every turn, inside every cupboard, I go aimlessly from room to room," (Didion 10) where explains how she fears her home, and feels as if she is stuck there.
