comment on a theme in the book

Ethnic awareness, and the role of that awareness in the life of Peter Balakian as he becomes an adult, is a vital theme in the novel. The entire first half of the novel deals with how Peter learns to identify with Armenian culture before he is even aware of what that culture really means. Peter knows his family values delicacies and aesthetics, and he knows their food choices are different from that of other family's. He is also aware they attribute great value to aesthetic aspects of the home and of how one is presented to the public. On the other hand, he is also aware that he and his family are American, and that their suburban lives are centered on American values. This duality seems odd to Peter, and it is only as he grown older that he begins to understand that although his family lives in America, their heritage is closely identified with the Armenian way of life.