Walter and Richard

         In Freedom by Franzen, the characters all seem to be incredibly similar, yet none of them appear to understand or like anyone else. They are so focused on their own motivations for doing things that they do not comprehend why other people do what they do. However, the two characters that are entirely different from one another are the two that appear to connect to the point of understanding each other.

            For instance, Patty cheats on Walter with Richard, and Walter considers cheating on Patty with his assistant. However, when Walter throw’s Patty out of the house, it can be inferred that it is due to her affair. The narrator states “‘I’ve been evicted,” she [Patty] said with a sad meek smile. “Thanks to you [Richard],”’ (404). Therefore, it is clear that while Patty and Walter are similar because neither of them is entirely happy in their marriage, Walter does not understand Patty’s motivation for actually cheating on him. Walter believes that he is a better person because he has only considered cheating on Patty.

            Walter and Richard appear to be complete opposites. Walter is a hardworking man who has only ever wanted a family, as is obvious with his comment “Kids have always been the meaning of life” (236), and Richard is a womanizer who “had intended to return to the East by the end of May, but … was still working on the deck in mid-June,” (165). However, Walter and Richard seem to be the only two characters thus far in the novel that comprehend the other’s motives. When Richard takes time off from his musical career, Walter states “You can’t just stop because people happened to like one of your records,” (219). This shows his insight into how Richard thinks and what he believes Richard values.

            While reading I found it interesting that none of the characters understand each other, even though the majority of them are inherently the same. Then, I was surprised upon realizing that Richard and Walter more or less understood each other, even though they are entirely different. They have a different sort of relationship than any of the other characters in the novel. Because their understanding of one another is so unusual, I believe that their relationship is one of the most significant in Freedom.