The story of “The Gangster We Are All Looking For” talks about several people who came to the new land as illegal immigrants for a search of a better life. The concept of family is predominant throughout and from the beginning of the story. It proves that the closest ties people have are with their family and sometimes, there is no one else in the world who will offer a helping hand, especially in own detriment.
From the very beginning the story illustrates the respect and obligations that individuals within a family have towards each other. When Mr. Russell shows the kindness of his heart and makes sure that the immigrant family is safe, he dies but his dream lives on through his wife. Her commitment to his wishes and the respect for him obligates Mrs. Russell to take the family in and offer help.
Also, the motherly feelings that she felt towards the family that was not even her own, proves that she was of kind heart and understood the hardships that others were going through. The key feature of the story is that everything is seen through the eyes of the girl and she describes things as they are. She is not yet able to understand the special ties between the family members. Later on, the reader learns that the family history is a rather harsh one.
The narration changes from the past to the present and tells a story of how the relationship between a “gangster” and his wife developed, as well as his son and daughter. When the father is ignoring the phone call and sees a man and his son on TV, it is apparent that the scene represents the loss and the difficulty that it has brought upon the parent. The father meets many challenges and also, has to deal with own insecurities.
As a result, this affects his position within the family and in the relationship with his daughter. Form one perspective the family life is shown through the eyes of a little girl. As she cannot yet comprehend many concepts, she can only observe and comment on what she sees. She is unable to understand the deepest emotions people go through at first.
When the family is reunited, the seemingly joyful moment and future life become marred by the relationships within the family and their past. It is possible to assume that the father has seen a lot in his life and this has greatly affected his relationship within the family. He probably had high hopes for his son and after the tragedy, could not let go of the pain.
The daughter becomes the other half of the family that has been separated by the harsh condition of life. Slowly, it becomes obvious that the narrator grows up and her feelings towards her family and father become clearer. She has a special relationship with her father and she can now understand the difficult time her mother goes through. The fact that the family was separated by the loss of the brother and the change in life settings represent different characters and their feelings.
The story shows the audience a different side of the family. The strain and inability to cope sometimes take over but in the end, people hold on to each other and find ways to get through the hardest times.