Simon's relationship with his son Alex.

Simon expected a lot out of Alex because they were just alike. He just expected so much more out him. Did you notice the similarities throughout the story?

1. Simon and Alex both appeared very uncomforable when placed in a brothel/juke joint type environment.

2. They both pulled the old "Let's do it for our country" (i.e. Grease 2) bull before going off to war, although Simon was much more smooth when using this line with Bertha.

3. Simon was frustrated about receiving rejection letters back from the universities. Alex was frustrated about receiving rejection letters back from magazines.

4. Simon would let nothing get in the way of what he was attempting to do when helping the sharecroppers and Alex would let nothing get in the way of his writing career.

Simon was demanding and insensitive. But, now I see a bit what he wanted for Alex and why he was frustrated with him. It's as he said later on, it would be so much easier for Alex than it was for Simon (although, still pretty tough back then), Alex was the the grandchild of slaves, but his parents were educated and provided well for him. Simon just went about it the wrong way. I really don't understand why he wasn't more sensitive to the fact his children lost their mother at a young age was very hard for them. He probably thought getting married and giving them a new mother would help them, and make things easier for all of them.

Does anyone know what year Simon died? There really is no mention of it anywhere.

Minorda 920 i disagree,to most but i respect ur post as others here.

Hola.

I want to say what i most disagree on is a SITF(slap in the face) to his beautiful mother
Bertha Palmer-Haley RIP.

...
He was so madly in love with her,we seen this from day one,or her first asking him out.
lol to the college/church picnic thing. He was so crazy about her,however as i read by ALEX HALEY son William,"how at the time Bertha was ill,left SIMON"in shock  devastated"the family all knew,how HARD SIMON TOOK THIS,for'months into YEARS
but he also needed to raise all them children on his own,became easier with a woman."
-
So he re-married,as bertha would want a good woman around the kids,and to keep simon happy.Who wouldn't.I love how the love story between ALEX parents,Bertha and Simon was,as his son say,"accurately portrayed"each part he said in an interview...
---
I do agree, at first he was hard on alex,we know that,we SEEN that and the family voiced  how this part was 100% true,but later both became quite close and that was a beautiful thing.He wanted LAZY-BOY ALEX to become more astute,prudent,and educated/more into finding his own way as SIMON has clearly successfully done,
as a young man,and as he got older,so i respect that. because alex even admit this,
in a rare tv interviews"he was lazy at first" and sure was not a "Go-Getter,self starter as his dad SIMON was,and we SEEN HOW GREAT SIMON WAS so eager,focus,steadfast
by ALL MEANS,to ACHIEVE in life,as a leader,and to "teach others,to do the same."

Alex Haley mentioned about his "relationship with father" also how he really did push
him and he was finally able to "understand why as any GOOD father will do involving the daughters,and sons a man has had in life."Alex said,"i respect my father the more he was getting older,and finally had found his way." Thus creating ROOTS and his books etc
et;al.,so i am glad to know this,as my father mom seen LIVE interview during 80s or early 90s and then i seen it. May they all RIP in heaven.LOVE THIS MOVIE SO MUCH.

...

LOVE this movie!

adios


BMWRedheadBella 
---
Love ROOTS(the next generation,starring:
Ms.Irene Cara,Dorian Harewood.

~ Simon and Bertha Palmer,"introduce us to Alexander Palmer Haley." ~

I didn't really like Simon after he and Bertha left Lane. He seemed very selfish for the most part and he also seemed very arrogant and rude as well. I mean, it was the custom back then and just common curtesy to ask a girl's father if he could court her but Simon just started popping up over their house. Will didn't like it and I don't blame him, especially what he went through to court Cynthia. He showed up at the house for a man to man with Tom. He even waited until he got a job promotion before he even thought about asking Tom for his permission to "take up" with Cynthia. Simon didn't think he had to do any of that. He just showed up and once they began to get serious, he seemed to put everything ahead of Bertha. Like when he skipped graduation to join the army, for example. He didn't even speak to her about it and get her opinion at all. In fact, she came there expecting to get engaged and even brought her father along. They traveled all the way to see him graduate and he didn't even have the common decency and consideration to at least wait until after graduation and talked it over with her before he just up and joined the army to go to a war, just because he read a book by WEB Dubois. If he really wanted to go to war then he could have joined the army anytime. He didn't have to go right then. I don't know if I would have waited for him after that because that would have been a clear sign that he did not respect my feelings nor value my opinion and he was going to put everything in his life before me and that is exactly what he did. Once they were married, he seemed to treat Bertha like a piece of furniture. He ignored her even to the point of not noticing when her health started to decline. She looked awful and was in so much pain that she could barely stand and walk but he didn't even notice. Plus, she told her mother that she was hemorrhaging and couldn't stop bleeding. As a husband, how do you not know that about your wife? He didn't notice this because she was never a real priority to him. He just took her for granted. Then not even 5 years after his wife and the mother of his kids has died, he has remarried and has shipped Alex off to school at a very young age to make things easier for himself and his new wife but the final straw was him telling Alex to call the new wife his mother, like Alex didn't know who his real mother was. I mean, Alex was old enough to remember his mother very well and that was just blatant disrespect to her memory. Yes, Simon seemed like a real ass hole.




I woke up this way...