Leo Tolstoy's novel A1111a Kare11i11a famously begins with the declaration, "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy £-un.ily is unhappy in it5 own way." But Solomon declares his position co be...

Leo Tolstoy's novel A1111a Kare11i11a famously begins with the declaration, "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy £-un.ily is unhappy in it5 own way." But Solomon declares his position co be :mti-Tolstoyan. Why? What reasoning does he supply in defense of the conclusion that happy familie,5 will embrace their differences, whereas unhappy families insist on :i single, definitive identity? If families are not defined by one basic identity, are they really families at all? Does "Son" offer an implicit argument for seeing families in a different ]jghc?