Commonwealth

Scenes of family joy and intimacy can be found throughout Commonwealth, such as in Jeanette’s small apartment. It is crowded with the bodies of her husband, son, housekeeper, and later her brother, but it is filled with love. Even Albie creates a similar domestic scene, so loving it makes Teresa weep. Their good fortune with their families is somewhat surprising given that both children were ignored for much of their childhoods. For the most part, the tasks of raising a family are characterized in this novel as a burden from which parents often wish to flee. By the time Bert and Teresa’s fourth child, Albie, is born, the parents are on the verge of divorce, and suddenly the four children become a weight that Teresa must manage on her own.

Because Teresa has to work, she has little time to spend with her children, and so the children must learn to help manage the domestic scene. They are responsible for big burdens, like making sure bills are paid on time so they have electricity and water, and small but nonetheless vital burdens, like making sure there is always freshly squeezed orange juice because it reminds them of how life was when they lived with their father.