Roddy Doyle’s novel The Van provides an insight into the life of a person who faces difficulty being open and sharing their emotions with others, especially his family members. The main character Jimmy Rabbitte Sr. loses his job and thus becomes unable to provide for his wife and children, which leaves him emotionally frustrated. The problem of Jimmy Rabbitte Sr. is common among men who are taught to repress their emotions. The main benefit of emotion repressing is that the man who does it becomes able to think clearly in stressful situations and be persistent despite circumstances. At the same time, the repression of emotions is mostly beneficial for the family of the man because it ensures that the man can generate income and provide for them continuously.
Yet, the repression eventually has a negative impact on the person because it prevents them from analyzing their true emotions and leads to frustration. Jimmy’s inability to process his emotional state causes him to lose his sense of position in the family as an authority figure, including for his son, who openly criticizes him (Doyle 78). Essentially, Jimmy’s constant repression of emotions prevents him from sharing his frustration with the family, from whom he does not have any support.
The existing practice of teaching boys to repress their emotions must be changed and corrected to ensure better emotional well-being. While repression may work for a certain period of time, eventually, it leads to mental problems such as depression and uncontrolled anger, which were experienced by Jimmy (Doyle 194). Therefore, it is important to teach boys to be aware of their emotions and not be afraid of asking for support and assistance from family, friends, or professionals such as psychologists. Teaching boys to be open about their emotional state will help them to address their complicated emotions successfully and thus achieve better mental well-being.
Work Cited
Doyle, Roddy. The Van. Penguin Books, 4th ed., 1993.