Essay Questions

What is the significance of the novel’s title?

Although there isn’t any specific reference that the title draws from it can be surmised that it is a reference to the expression “them’s the breaks” a fatalistic saying usually uttered when things don’t go the way they’re expected and one is expected to simply push on through despite the disappointment. This connection could well hold true given the themes of personal failure in the face of great expectations that are placed upon the protagonist of the novel and his antagonistic response towards these expectations.

Why does Peter decide to go and completely disappoint his father rather than try to please him?

The novel reads almost like a case study of rebellion and father issues. Peter lives nearly his entire life being told by his father what he should be and what goals he should pursue; effectively he lives out his goals and dreams vicariously through his son, much to his son’s disgust and dismay. He manipulates his son into thinking that the only way to earn his love and respect is to impress him and instead of causing Peter to work harder on becoming a lawyer he does the opposite: he abandons all of the goals that his father imposes on him and goes all out trying to disappoint his father. He goes on this self-destructive journey for a number of reasons but primarily out of spite and resentment—he is doing this to get back at his father for using law school as a sort of emotional carrot-and-stick routine. The other reason is, presumably, genuine confusion. Having grown up all his life being told what he should be and what he should pursue when he is finally freed from the pressure he realizes that he doesn’t actually know what he wants for himself.

What is the significance of Peter’s decision to abandon his faith (Judaism)?

A clear indication of his total rejection of all the pressures that his father had imposed on him is Peter’s rejection of Judaism. His disdain for his father is so complete that he makes this decision to distance himself from everything that his father cherishes. Their faith is particularly important to his father and in abandoning it Peter finds that he has effectively created for himself another “weapon” by which he can inflict the most amount of emotional hurt to his father. His abandonment of his faith is also a manifestation of his ennui and general lack of meaning that permeates his character.