What role does the relationship between Lianne and her mother and Martin play in Falling Man by Don DeLillo?This question with regard to themes in...

Don DeLillo's novel Falling Man is
the story of one man, Keith, who was in one of the towers on September 11, 2001, and
survives. He goes home to his wife Lianne, though they had been separated, and his son
Justin. We see what happens to them as they work their way through the next days, weeks,
months, and years together. This is the primary relationship depicted in the story;
however, there are a few others which become important as the story
progresses.

Nina is Lianne's mother, and she and Martin
have been lovers for about twenty years. Lianne loves her mother and her mother loves
Martin, and everything is fine until the attacks on September 11. Martin is out of the
country when the event happens, but he flies back to be with Nina as quickly as flights
become available because he does love her. What happens, though, is that his sympathies
toward the Islamic terrorists cause him to lose his relationship with Nina. This does
not happen in one day, of course, but the rift begins a mere day or two after the
attacks. Nina has no sympathy for those who murdered innocent people in the name of
their God; Martin was once a German terrorist, of sorts, and he understands their anger
and hatred and their need to take action for a
cause.

Thematically, Martin is nearly the only character
who holds any sympathy for the drastic measures to which these people had to go in order
to be heard--and it costs him the woman he has loved for many years. Martin's views are
equally unacceptable to Lianne; however, she continues to stay in touch with him because
he represents a link to her mother--especially a link to the times when her mother was
vibrant and alive. Once Nina dies and the memorial service is held, Martin's views are
still apparent; Lianne also cuts off any communication with him then.  Martin also
speaks for many Europeans who are sick of American domination and are not sorry to see
the United States take a hit, a view which did exist in some places after September 11.
In this novel, Martin speaks for those who are not emotionally involved and for many
non-Americans.