Families Portrayed In Roddy Doyle's Books Why do we hear so much about family these days? Perhaps it is because relationships between family members are assumed to be the prototype for all other social relations. In the novels, The Commitments, The Snapper and The Van, Roddy Doyle shows his support of the family as an institution. Each character demonstrates strength and direction within the family unit. However, when the stability of the family is threatened, each character breaks down along with the family itself. When we think of family life we associate happiness, a life of sharing memories and developing unbreakable friendships. It is easy to create a family