Running head: Analysis of the Family System in The Great Santini
Stolz 1
Analysis of the Family System in The Great Santini
Joshua A. Stolz
Pennsylvania State University
Running head: Analysis of the Family System in The Great Santini
Stolz 2
Introduction
The Meecham family is the focus of The Great Santini. The Meechams are a family
system that has many strengths and weaknesses. There are both tendencies of healthy families
and tendencies of dysfunctional families within the Meecham family. By analyzing each
member of the family and looking at the Meechams through the Family Life Cycles approach,
the Structural approach, the McMaster’s model, Cognitive theory, and Behavioral theory, the
health of this family system will be determined. To better analyze the Meechams, a brief plot
summary of The Great Santini will first be discussed.
Plot Summary
Patrick Conroy’s The Great Santini is a novel set in 1962 about the life of a military
family, the Meechams. The Meecham’s nuclear family consists of the father Bull, mother
Lillian, eldest son Ben, eldest daughter Mary Anne, and the two younger children Karen and
Matt. The family has a background of frequently moving homes due to the unpredictable nature
of the father’s position in the Marine Core.
At the start of the novel, Bull returns home after a year of being stationed in Europe.
During Bull’s absence, the family had been living in Atlanta with Lillian’s mother Alice. Upon
Bull’s return the family must once again move to a military base in Ravenel, South Carolina. It
is clear that the family has difficulties with this constant uprooting, especially the younger
children who reminisce about formerly living in Cherry Point and Camp Lejeune.
Bull is an authoritarian father who cares about his family, while at the same time,
imposes rigid demands on them as well. Lillian and Bull have an affectionate relationship
although this relationship is frequently tested by Bull’s drinking which often results in abusive
Running head: Analysis of the Family System in The Great Santini
Stolz 3
outbursts. These abusive outbursts caused by his alcoholism lead to the majority of the problems
within the family. Upon his arrival at the military base in Ravenel, Bull is assigned the stressful
job of training marine fighter pilots. It is clear that Bull is in trouble with his commanding
officer and failure in executing this new task successfully would result in Bull’s demotion or
termination from the Marine Core. This pressure results in additional tension within the family.
Throughout the novel, both Ben and Mary Anne struggle with their relationships to their
father and the way in which the parental subsystem functions. Lillian also has difficulties with
her part in the parental subsystem. In addition, the family struggles with the role the Marine
Core plays in their lives. Bull perceives his family and the Marine Core as an enmeshed entity,
while the rest of the family desires a stricter boundary between Bull’s work and the family.
The town of Ravenel is a costal town where prejudice exists. Some of the civilian
families within the town dislike the children from military families; Ben in particular is at the
forefront of this issue. Racism is also present within the town and the Meechams feel this
pressure as they become close with their black housemaid Arrabelle and her son Toomer. This
issue comes to a climax near the end of the novel as a prejudice townie kills Toomer.
The novel follows the life of the family throughout one year while living in Ravenel.
Ben and Bull’s relationship in particular is a main focus within the novel. Bull’s demanding job,
the role of the Marine Core, the values of the town, and the death of a close friend all influence
the Meecham family in their interactions with each other and their community. At the climax of
The Great Santini, Ben confronts Bull while is he drunk and tells his father he loves him, a
display of emotion that is uncomfortable for Bull. Ben then seems to forgive his father for past
transgressions. Shortly after this event, Bull dies in a heroic plane crash and Ben assumes the
role of head of the Meecham family. The novel ends with Ben driving his family, much like Bull
Running head: Analysis of the Family System in The Great Santini
Stolz 4
used to, out of Ravenel back to Atlanta. To understand the Meecham family system it is
important to first look at each individual family member.
Members of the Meecham Family
Bull Meecham is 41 years old and is the head of the Meecham family. He grew up in
Chicago and is resistant to the southern customs of his wife. Bull is strongly invested in his job
as a Marine fighter jet pilot and is a veteran of World War Two. Bull often comes off in a
negative light as competitive and arrogant, although these may be qualities that are essential for a
fighter pilot to have. He is also very narcissistic; he calls himself “the Great Santini”, the allknowing omnipotent leader of the Meechams. Bull’s main priorities are the Marine Core and his
family. While Bull feels love and affection for his family, he is uncomfortable with emotion,
which makes this affection difficult for him to express. Bull often copes with problems through
aggression and violent threats. It is common for Bull to redirect his anger or stress from his job
onto his family especially when drunk which leads to his abusive behavior.
Bull fits the description of Kenneth Hoffman’s 1998 article characterizing alcoholism in
the military. Hoffman explains that the common military alcoholic is not a man who drives
around drunk, gets into a fight, and is carried away by military guards. The military alcoholic is
a man who makes a fool of himself at social events and then shows up on time for work the next
day (Hoffman, 1998). He is the man whose family has to deal with this problem. Bull very
much fits this description of the common military alcoholic. Without alcohol Bull is better able
to restrain himself, but when he drinks he becomes both verbally and physically abusive to his
family.
Running head: Analysis of the Family System in The Great Santini
Stolz 5
Bull’s wife and the mother of the Meecham family is Lillian. Lillian is 47 years old and
is depicted as being a physically beautiful and a well-mannered, proper southern lady. She has
the role of peacekeeper within the family and often tries to protect her children by making
excuses for Bull’s behavior. Lillian is able to fulfill Bull’s schema of a marine family and she
keeps order in the family while Bull is away. Lillian comes from a divorced family and as a
result does not want her children to have this experience. She is very religious and often copes
with problems through religion. Lillian also copes with problematic issues through denial and
avoidance.
Ben is 18 years old and is the eldest son of the Meecham family. He is athletic and the
star of the high school basketball team. Ben has a hostile-intense relationship with his sister,
marked with both vicious fights and affection. He assumes the role of protector within the
family. Ben accurately remembers the abusive nature of his father and often acts in ways to
avoid his father’s beatings. He struggles most with his relationship to his father. By the end of
the novel Ben assumes the role of head of the family.
Ben also feels most comfortable around outcasts; his best friends are a Jewish boy and a
black boy, both of whom are social pariahs within the town. From the 2011 article by Nansoon
Park, Park explains that it is common for military children to easily accept outsiders. In general,
it was found that military children were much more accepting of differences than civilian
children. In addition, Park found that military children are much better at adapting to new
situations than civilians. Both of these qualities accurately describe Ben.
Ben’s sister Mary Anne also possesses this quality of acceptance. Mary Anne is 16 and
is the eldest daughter of the family. She deals with body image issues and seems to resent her
mother for being beautiful. Lillian is also angered that Mary Anne does not fit her schema of
Running head: Analysis of the Family System in The Great Santini
Stolz 6
how a southern lady should act. Mary Anne is intelligent and attempts to make up for her
perceived flawed image by being well read. She also struggles with the concept of religion,
another topic that causes hostility between her and her mother. Mary Anne knows that her
father values the males of the family more than the females and this causes the majority of her
problems. Mary Anne has received only minimal physically abuse from her father and she is
constantly looking for Bull’s approval. She attempts to cope with crisis by projecting a tough
exterior, although it is clear that underneath she is very sensitive.
Karen is the third youngest child and is 13 years old. Matt is the youngest child of the
Meecham family. Karen and Matt are often seen playing together. Both children are sensitive
and young. Together they create the younger children subsystem. Karen remembers and is
affected by the constant uprooting of the family, while it seems that Matt is too young to be
affected by this. Matt is greatly influenced by his father and is slowly forming his values of how
a “man” should act. Karen is gaining her values of a “southern women” from her mother. The
members of the Meechams are Bull, Lillian, Ben, Mary Anne, Karen and Matt. Together these
members create a family system that is traveling forward through time.
Family Systems Theories
In Carter and McGoldrick’s The Changing Life Cycle, the family’s transition through
time is explored. Families are viewed as unified systems that travel through life. At designated
events the system must transition to different stages of living. The family is the center of a much
larger network including the extended family, the community, and the cultural climate (Carter &
McGoldrick, 1998). There are six transitional stages in total and each stage is marked by
specific principals and second order changes that must occur (Carter & McGoldrick, 1998).
Running head: Analysis of the Family System in The Great Santini
Stolz 7
Second order changes are major structural rearrangements that a family must cope with in order
to successfully adapt to a new situation. In addition, Carter and McGoldrick explain that there
may be stressors on a family that may make transitions difficult. A vertical stressor is a constant
pressure on a family that may include a secret, a legacy, or a consistent pattern. A horizontal
stressor is an unpredictable event that causes pressure on the family (Carter & McGoldrick,
1998). If a family is unable to cope with these stressors they may become derailed from their
path.
In The Great Santini the family is about to transition to the launching stage. The
Meechams do not exactly fit the stages of the Family Life Cycle since they have children that
span three stages. The Meechams have already adjusted to having both young and adolescent
children and must now adjust to their eldest launching. The parental subsystem has been flexible
in allowing children into the family and is allowing the adolescent children the proper
boundaries. However, to successfully launch Ben from the family, the Meechams must accept
his exit from the family and develop a new relationship with Ben where he is treated as an adult
(Carter & McCgoldrick, 1998). This family seems resistant to seeing Ben as an adult and this
may cause problems, particularly between Ben and Mary Anne.
The family, while experiencing this transition, faces further pressure from vertical
stressors. One vertical stressor is Bull’s alcoholism and abuse. Another vertical stressor is the
Meecham legacy. Bull has the schema that Meecham’s are winners, to fail in any way is a
disgrace to the family. The family must also deal with the pattern of constantly uprooting and
moving homes. In addition, the family must deal with horizontal stressors. One horizontal
stressor is Ben’s eminent launching. Another horizontal stressor is the death of Toomer. At the
end of the novel the family must also cope with the horizontal stressor of Bulls’s death. Due to
Running head: Analysis of the Family System in The Great Santini
Stolz 8
the multiple horizontal and vertical stressors it is unclear if the Meecham’s will successfully
transition into the next life cycle stage. While the family life cycle approach is able to
characterize the Meechams as they move through time, Salvatore Minuchin’s structural theory
highlights the organization of this family.
One aspect of Structural theory described in Minuchin’s 1974 Families and Family
Therapy is subsystems. Within a family there is a dominant structure that sets family codes and
tasks and subordinate structures that follow these codes and carry out their assigned tasks. In
The Great Santini the dominant structure is composed of Lillian and Bull. Bull makes demands
and orders and Lillian supports these demands. Two common Subsystems are the older children
subsystem composed of Ben and Mary Anne and the younger children subsystem composed of
Matt and Karen. The workings of these systems is present when the family first moves into their
new home in Ravenel. The dominant structure tasks the subordinate subsystems with getting the
house in order. Once Bull gives this task, Ben and Mary Anne then micromanage the younger
children subsystem to complete this goal.
Another aspect of Minuchin’s structural theory is power. In order for a dominant
structure to accomplish its operations and necessary tasks it is given power or authority from the
subsystems (Minuchin, 1974). In this novel the dominant structure demands power through
coercion. Bull constantly threatens to hit his kids if they do not listen to him. One common
example is when Bull says to one of his children, “If you don’t get upstairs on the double, I may
stomp your face in” (Conroy, P. 91). His child quickly responds and Bull successfully gains the
power needed to accomplish necessary family operations. However, this power is only received
through threats and abuse, which highlight dysfunctions within the Meecham family.
Running head: Analysis of the Family System in The Great Santini
Stolz 9
It is worth noting that abuse within military families is not uncommon, especially after
the combatant has seen active duty. The 2012 study by Rabenhorst, Thomsen, Milner, Foster,
and Linkh found that in Air Force families where both alcoholism and moderate abuse were
present before deployment, experienced spousal abuse rates increased 36.8% following the
combatant’s return from active duty. It is possible that by being involved in war, Bull has
become more violent toward his family as a result. Although these findings do not vindicate
Bull they do provide insight as to a possible reason behind his unacceptable violent behavior.
Bull’s involvement in war is an issue that the family needs to deal with in order to have a well
functioning family system.
Another important element of the Structural theory is boundaries. Boundaries are the
defining codes of who is in which subsystem and how they participate (Minuchin, 1974). One
positive aspect of the Meechams is the clearly defined boundaries within the spousal subsystem.
This is shown in a scene where Bull reveals his stressful situation at work to Lillian. It is made
clear that the children are not in the room and that this stressful information is appropriately kept
within the spousal subsystem. Another example of clear boundaries is when Ben and Bull play
basketball together. An alliance between Ben and Bull is shown as they share basketball as a
common interest. While this scene does end in a negative manner, it is clear that basketball has
the potential to be a positive bonding experience between Ben and Bull. The Structural approach
highlights the subsystems, boundaries, and power within the Meechams. Another model that
helps characterize the Meechams is the McMasters model.
Epstein, Bishop, and Baldwin’s 1982 McMaster’s Model of Family Functioning focus on
three levels of tasks that a healthy family must accomplish. The Meechams do accomplish these
tasks of basic needs, developmental tasks, and hazardous tasks. However, the family is
Running head: Analysis of the Family System in The Great Santini
Stolz 10
especially well adapted to handle hazardous tasks. At the end of the novel when Bull
unexpectedly dies, the Meechams deal with his death in a healthy manner. This is largely
accomplished through strong support from the community. Other Marine families come to aid in
the grieving process and help the Meechams accomplish basic tasks during this time. Lillian
assumes the necessary responsibilities and Ben seamlessly transitions into the role of head of the
family. The Meechams successfully accomplish this difficult task.
The McMaster’s Model of Family Functioning also describes six domains of family
functioning (Epstein, Bishop, and Baldwin 1982). One domain that the family has difficulty
with is communication. The parental subsystem in particular has difficulties hearing Ben. In
one scene Ben is talking to his mom about his father’s abusive behavior. Despite the multiple
attempts Ben makes at clear and direct communication, Lillian does not acknowledge what Ben
is saying. Ben explains that Bull has hit Lillian at least three times, Lillian responds, “Your
exaggerating” (Conroy, P.138). Lillian simply refuses to communicate with Ben about Bull’s
abusive nature. This lack of communication is an obstacle to resolving many problems within
the family. Another domain that the Meechams struggle with is affective involvement.
Affective involvement is the amount of interest the family shows in particular individual
members (Epstein, et al., 1982). The Meechams have difficulties in the equality of involvement
that they express. The family is overly involved in Ben’s activity in basketball while there is a
lack of involvement in Mary Anne’s life. In one instance when Ben and Mary Anne are talking,
the resentment that Mary Anne feels toward Ben’s basketball achievements comes through.
Mary Anne sarcastically states “oh, my hero, my jump-shooter. Let me touch your feet. No,
your feet smell like something dead” (Conroy, P. 282). Mary Anne notices this unequal family
involvement and it may be making her feel isolated and resentful. While the McMasters model
Running head: Analysis of the Family System in The Great Santini
Stolz 11
is able to point out strengths and weaknesses within specific domains of a family, through the
cognitive approach the interactions within the family and the way in which each member
assesses these interactions becomes the focus.
Epstein, Schlesinger, and Dryden’s 1988 Cognitive Behavioral Family Therapy with
Families discusses cognitive theories as applied to the family system. One element of this theory
is individual beliefs or schemas and how it affects the family. These are a person’s engrained
structure of how a certain role should operate. In The Great Santini, Bull’s schema of how a
man should act causes difficulties within the family. In one instance during Ben’s basketball
game, another player intentionally hurts Ben. Bull responds to this by putting pressure on Ben to
get revenge. Ben succumbs to this pressure and breaks the opposing players leg. This results in
Ben’s removal from the basketball team and the loss of a possible college scholarship. Due to
imposing rigid schemas, the Meechams miss an opportunity for Ben to have his college expenses
paid.
Another aspect of the cognitive theory is appraisals. Appraisals are personal
interpretations of specific events (Epstein, Schlesinger, and Dryden, 1988). In the novel, the
Meecham marriage is kept intact through Lillian’s positive appraisals of Bull. In one instance
when Bull had been abusive toward Ben during a basketball game, Lillian explains to Ben her
positive appraisal of Bull. Lillian states that Bull is outside the house practicing basketball not to
taunt Ben, but as an obscure form of an apology. Through these seemingly obscure appraisals,
the Meecham family is able to have a more positive view of their father.
Another important aspect that defines either healthy or dysfunctional families within the
cognitive approach is the ability for families to problem solve. Problem solving is the ability for
a family to come up with possible solutions when there is no clear answer (Epstein et al., 1988).
Running head: Analysis of the Family System in The Great Santini
Stolz 12
The Meechams greatly benefit from their ability to problem solve. When the family first enters
Ravenel, they see that their assigned home is in terrible condition. Lillian is able to quickly react
and the family redecorates the home to make it more livable. Through the family’s problem
solving abilities, an initially negative condition is quickly turned into a positive aspect.
While the cognitive approach focuses on the Meecham’s perception of their family and
the outside world, the Behavioral approach focuses on the families interactions with each other
and the reinforcers of these interactions. One concept explained in Patterson and Reid’s 1967
chapter Reciprocity and Coercion is the idea of coercion. Coercion is forcing control over others
through harmful means (Patterson & Reid, 1967). In the novel, Bull Meecham asserts power
within his family through coercion. If his children do not meet his demands, Bull threatens to
physically abuse them. The Meecham children’s obedient response to threats further encourages
Bull to use this technique to gain power. Coercion is a mark of dysfunction within this family.
Another concept of the behavioral approach stated by Patterson and Reid is the idea of
reciprocity. Reciprocity describes an interaction in which both involved parties reinforce each
other equally (Patterson & Reid, 1967). In The Great Santini, Ben and Mary Anne seem to have
a playfully hostile relationship. In the first scene in which the reader sees Ben and Mary Anne
interact, Mary Anne initially makes fun of Ben’s acne. Ben responds by criticizing Mary Anne’s
nose. These hostile comments begin to escalate and become more vicious although this does not
culminate in a fight. Mary Anne and Ben have a pattern of negatively interacting with each other
and this negativity is increasingly met with more hostility. Discussed in the 2002 Teti article, it
is suggested that siblings with close age spacing often compete with each other for parental
investment. It is possible that Ben and Mary Anne are competitive due to their close two-year
Running head: Analysis of the Family System in The Great Santini
Stolz 13
age gap. While this subsystem does get along well, it would be much healthier if this cycle of
negative reciprocity ended.
The behavioral approach also looks at the concept of learning. If a certain style or
solution is consistently used to solve a problem, then it is expected that observing individuals
will adopt this method. Unfortunately in this novel, the Meecham children model the coercive
nature of Bull. In the scene where Bull is arriving in Atlanta, Matt and Mary Anne begin to
argue. After Mary Anne calls Matt a midget Matt responds by saying, “Your lucky mom
stopped me (…) or Id’ve had to hurt you bad” (Conroy, P. 14). This behavior is commonly seen
throughout the novel. Both Ben and Mary Anne often threaten each other with violence. The
children of the Meecham family have learned from their father to use violent threats as a
technique to get people to hear them and to gain power. By analyzing the Meechams through
different theories, it is clear that this family system has both positive and negative qualities.
Strengths, Weaknesses, and Conclusion
The Meechams are a family that has multiple stressors present in their everyday lives.
They are constantly uprooting and moving to different military homes, they deal with
alcoholism, and harsh physical and emotional abuse. However, this family survives these
stressors utilizing the many positive aspects that this system contains. From the theories
discussed earlier, it is easy to see that the Meechams have highly functional subsystems. These
subsystems efficiently carry out their tasks and provide support to the members involved. This
family also has good problem solving ability, a very important attribute of a system. Finally, the
Meechams meet many of the tasks necessary for a family to be healthy as stated in the
Running head: Analysis of the Family System in The Great Santini
Stolz 14
McMaster’s model. In addition to the positive aspects, the above theories articulate the negative
aspects of the Meechams as well.
The Meechams largest problem is the use of coercion within the family. This coercion
not only leads to physical abuse, but the children of the family are learning to use violent threats
as possible future solutions. This family is also poor at communicating. The lack of
communication within the system insures that many important issues are not discussed and
therefore cannot be successfully resolved. There is also an unequal affective involvement within
this family system, which causes isolation and resentment within the family. Finally, the rigid
schemas of the family cause dysfunction as well.
By analyzing the Meechams through many different theories it is clear that the negative
aspects of this system out weigh the positive aspects. However, it is possible that the multiple
stressors present are enhancing these negative aspects. If the stressors were removed, the
Meechams might function at a much higher level. If another family were to be placed in their
situation, it is very possible that they would function at a level similar to the Meechams. Overall,
the Meechams are a fairly dysfunctional family that with outside help, perhaps counseling
focused on addressing alcoholism and physical and emotional abuse, have the potential to be a
healthy functioning family system.
Running head: Analysis of the Family System in The Great Santini
Stolz 15
References
Carter, E. A., & McGoldrick, M. (1988). The Changing Family Life Cycle: A Framework for
Family Therapy (pp. 3-28).
Conroy, P. (2011). The Great Santini. N.p.: Dial Press Trade Paperbacks.
Epstein, N. B., Bishop, D. S., & Baldwin, L. M. (1982). McMaster's Model of Family
Functioning: A View of the Normal Family (pp. 3-23). N.p.: Guilford Press.
Epstein, N., Schlesinger, S. E., & Dryden, W. (1988). Concepts and Methods of CognitiveBehavioral Family Treatment (pp. 5-27). N.p.: Bruner and Mazel
Hoffman, K. (1998, February). Today's approach to alcoholism in the service. Marine Corps
Gazette, 82(2), p. 18-19.
Minuchin, S. (1974). Families and Family Therapy (pp. 46-66). Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press
Park, N. (2011, January). Military Children and Families. American Psychologist, 66(1), 65-72.
Patterson, G. D., & Reid, J. B. (1967). Reciprocity and Coercion: Two Facets of Social Systems
(pp. 133-144). N.p.: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Rabenhorst, M. M., Thompson, C. J., Milner, J. S., Foster, R. E., & Linkh, D. J. (2012, July).
Spouse abuse and combat-related deployments in active duty Air Force couples.
Psychology of Violence, 2(3), 273-284.
Teti, D. M. (2002). Retrospective and Prospective in the Psychological Study of Sibling
Relationships (pp. 193-207).
Running head: Analysis of the Family System in The Great Santini
Stolz 16