A person can live their whole life not really wanting a wife and kids and still be disappointed that it didn't happen.
Except that Larry does want them.
One of the ironic things, after all, is that nobody on the entire show is married--unless I'm forgetting someone.
Well, Alan's widowed.
Larry's own lack of a family doesn't seem like the defining point in his life to me.
I don't think it's "the" defining thing in his life, but I think it's "a" defining thing. And it's something Larry and Charlie have discussed as a problem with their kind of work ("Sacrifice")
Family is something that any one of the people on the show (except Alan) could end up missing, and it would just be the way their lives worked out, one of probably a number of things that they might have wanted but didn't.
I think it's more than that, though. I think Don in particular needs family to anchor him.
was Charlie worried about it?
Yes. See "Sacrifice." Or even the conversation with Don in "Spree" about Amita. But here I think "Sacrifice" is more apt. Charlie has expressed concern about the inability of major scientists to balance work and family more than once, but I do think "Sacrifice" is the best place to look for that.
I personally put family in a different catagory than a career or hobby. I think one of the things Alan is worried about is who will take care of his kids when he's gone. Who will they spend their lives with? Charlie and Don both need family as an anchor, Charlie to keep from getting lost in math and Don to keep perspective in his job. To some extent I think Larry gets that from the Eppes family.
no subject
Except that Larry does want them.
One of the ironic things, after all, is that nobody on the entire show is married--unless I'm forgetting someone.
Well, Alan's widowed.
Larry's own lack of a family doesn't seem like the defining point in his life to me.
I don't think it's "the" defining thing in his life, but I think it's "a" defining thing. And it's something Larry and Charlie have discussed as a problem with their kind of work ("Sacrifice")
Family is something that any one of the people on the show (except Alan) could end up missing, and it would just be the way their lives worked out, one of probably a number of things that they might have wanted but didn't.
I think it's more than that, though. I think Don in particular needs family to anchor him.
was Charlie worried about it?
Yes. See "Sacrifice." Or even the conversation with Don in "Spree" about Amita. But here I think "Sacrifice" is more apt. Charlie has expressed concern about the inability of major scientists to balance work and family more than once, but I do think "Sacrifice" is the best place to look for that.
I personally put family in a different catagory than a career or hobby. I think one of the things Alan is worried about is who will take care of his kids when he's gone. Who will they spend their lives with? Charlie and Don both need family as an anchor, Charlie to keep from getting lost in math and Don to keep perspective in his job. To some extent I think Larry gets that from the Eppes family.