Is Art Smart?

            The Family Fang presents four characters that seem to be finding a way to express art. Annie and Buster grow up setting up scenes with their parents, who find it amusing. The children grow up and seem to be extremely confused and lost in search of their personal identity. This novel presents various situations in which the reader is forced to question what exactly art is and what effects it can have on people.

            In the prologue of the novel, we see Caleb and Camille setting up a scene. Their definition of art seems debatable. This is evident when the narrator states, “Mr. and Mrs. Fang called it art. Their children called in mischief” (page 1). What exactly is art? Art is defined as “the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.” In Caleb and Camille’s world, art is setting up scenes in public places, causing commotion, and getting a recording of them.

Through their eager need to display a unique art form, Annie and Buster seem to lose themselves. We see Buster participate in a beauty pageant, which is not normal for a male to do. At first, Buster refuses to be in the pageant saying he doesn’t want to, “be a girl” (page 65). After considering what Annie has to say about the situation, Buster gives in to participating in the pageant, which brings extreme joy to his parents. This kind of childhood somewhat seems to make Buster forget who he is. The way that the parents manipulate their children for their own amusement in creating a new art form seems to make Buster lose sight of himself in the future. We see this when he begins to make a living off of shooting potato guns and maxing out his credit cards. Annie, on the other hand, agrees to do a topless scene for a movie that ruins her career. She has nobody to turn to for advice and is forced to turn to outsiders who say things for their personal benefit.

After the children return home after many years, Caleb and Camille already have a plan in mind. As Annie walks out of the airport, “their father was holding a…T-shirt that read: The Cluck Team just below the Chicken Queen logo” (page 108). Despite all the years of separation, the first thing on Caleb and Camille’s mind is putting together another scene rather than catching up on the time they haven’t spent with their children. The lack of parenting and Caleb and Camille’s obsession with their art seem to affect the children in the future when they have nobody to turn to. They don’t have anyone to turn to for support and comfort. Ultimately, this new art form seems to be the downfall for the Fang family.