The idea of the family originated at the beginning of time, when Adam and Eve conceived their first child, Cain, and created the first family unit. Through time, the concept of a family began to form and continued to change. Tracing these different representations of a family creates a picture of how society relates the family unit and community. A present account of this relationship arises in the television show, Modern Family. The show’s three families, which include an interracial couple, a homosexual couple, and the “traditional” couple of man and wife, represent the diverse melting pot that is our American community. I find that the show dives into the universal essence of family life in the modern American community, and it does so in a humorous way through which we all can relate. Modern Family allows us to consider the change in the idea of the family and how it represents the increasing acceptance of diversity within the American community.
The show’s three families each represent a different aspect of our community. The first family we will discuss is the family of Jay and Gloria. Jay is married to Gloria, who is half of his age and a native Colombian, and together, they raise her son, Manny. This family deviates from the norm because, in today’s community, such drastic age differences rarely occur. They also stray because they form an interracial couple. Our community is more accepting of such relationships in today’s time, as opposed to the strong opposition such couples faced not more than forty years ago. Jay also raises a child who is not his, which continues to become increasingly prevalent in the modern family, as divorce and re-marriage are slowly being accepted. The traditional family typically adopts the last name of the man, but, in this case, the couple shares a hyphenated last name. This shows how the American community places importance on each partner in the relationship. We no longer see the family in the man’s name, but rather, in one, harmonious unit. This progress on the equality of both man and wife in a partnership permeates in the modern community.
The second family we will discuss is the family of Mitchell and Cameron, who are a homosexual male couple. This couple shows the acceptance of homosexuality in the American community, but they also raise the idea that there remains work to be done in order for...
