Line #1 Literature/Freedom


1	[[quoteright:333:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/511fsxl6n3l_ac_sy780_1.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:315:The Cerulean warbler, "a pretty little bird."]]
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4	->''Then again, there had always been something not quite right about the Berglunds.''
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7	''Freedom'' is a 2010 novel by Creator/JonathanFranzen, centered on the Berglund family, particularly Patty, a former basketball star turned housewife; Walter, her environmentalist husband; and their independent, entrepreneurial son Joey. It also touches on Walter's college friend Richard Katz, an indie musician.
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9	! This Work Contains Examples of
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11	* AllForNothing: [[spoiler: How Walter comes to view his work with the Cerulean Mountain Trust. And Patty, for all her pining for Richard, was only with with him for a few months once they were free to be together.]]
12	* BettyAndVeronica: Multiple.
13	** Patty is torn between [[DoggedNiceGuy her doting husband Walter]] (Betty) and [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys the more mercurial, sexy Richard]] (Veronica).
14	** Joey is tempted to cheat on the [[GirlNextDoor unwaveringly loyal Connie]] (Betty) with the [[SpoiledBrat beautiful, spoiled Jenna]] (Veronica).
15	** Walter too is tempted to cheat on Patty with Lalitha, who is arguably the Betty to Patty's Veronica since she loves and accepts Walter completely while Patty holds a torch for Richard.
16	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: After Lalitha's death, Walter and Patty spend a few lonely years apart before [[DivorceIsTemporary getting back together]]. Joey is successful and HappilyMarried to Connie, while his less avaricious sister struggles in the publishing industry. The Nameless Lake house becomes a bird sanctuary dedicated to Lalitha.]]
17	* BlackSheep: Patty and Walter. Patty, unlike her sisters, chose athletics over arts and the University of Minnesota over a prestigious East Coast college. Sweet Walter's brothers abused him.
18	* CatsAreMean: Walter hates cats, viewing them as "the sociopaths of the pet world" for what they do to birds.
19	* CharacterNarrator: Some of the sections are from Patty's autobiography "Mistakes Were Made," in which she refers to herself as [[ThirdPersonPerson "Patty" or "the autobiographer"]].
20	* {{Elopement}}: [[spoiler: How Joey marries Connie.]]
21	* FatalFlaw: Patty's competitiveness. It's presented as the driving force behind her interest in Richard, sparked by a desire to one-up her friend Eliza. Her instability after having children with Walter is attributed to her having nothing to feed her competitive side.
22	* IdiotBall: Normally smart and savvy Joey swallows his wedding ring while having phone sex with Jenna. And rather than trying to throw it up immediately, he insists on waiting to expel it anally.
23	* ImAManICantHelpIt: Connie believes this and therefore gives Joey permission to sleep with other girls while he's in college.
24	* LadykillerInLove: Richard has [[GirlsLikeMusicians no trouble attracting women]], while still harboring feelings for Patty.
25	* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: In college, Walter is soft-spoken and gentle, with several female friends, while Patty is a jock.
26	* MyBelovedSmother: Patty is too enmeshed with and emotionally reliant on Joey, ultimately driving him away.
27	* NiceJewishBoy: Defied with Richard Katz, who is Jewish as well as a cool love 'em and leave 'em type.
28	* OhCrap: Patty when she sees that Walter has read her autobiography and now knows about her affair with his best friend.
29	* RapeAsBackstory: Patty's first experience with sex was getting date-raped as a teenager, which affected how she viewed sex as well as her relationship with her parents, who urged her not to seek retribution because the rapist's father was an important donor to her mother's campaign.
30	* SlidingScaleOfBeauty: Joey observes how men react differently to seeing him with Jenna than they do when he's with Connie.
31	* SoBeautifulItsACurse: How Joey views Jenna's beauty. People are too distracted by her looks to see her for the sad, adrift girl that she is.
32	* TurnOfTheMillennium: The book touches on key events in the 2000s, including the September 11 attacks, the Bush presidency, and the Iraq War. A whole chapter is called 2004.
33	* TwoTimingWithTheBestie: Patty falls for and has an affair with Richard, Walter's best friend since college.
34	** And Eliza sleeps with Patty's college boyfriend Carter.

Context Literature / Freedom