The relationship between Lou Ann and Taylor is a sisterly and assisting relationship. They are both independent women who strive to hold up their individual lives, but they do so, by sharing the burden with each other and making progress step by step. The familiarity and homeliness that they are able to find in each other brings the other one comfort and I can relate to that with my friend Sunessa, She was my very first “best friend” whom I still remember I would go when I needed comfort and vice versa. Lou Ann and Taylor both serve as role models for each other. To Lou Ann, Taylor is the embodiment of strong and independent womanhood, whereas to Taylor, Lou Ann displays what it means to make personal decisions for herself. Taylor notices …show more content…
They “ had already established that [their] hometowns in Kentucky were separated by only two counties, and that [they] had both been to the exact same Bob Seger concert at the Kentucky State Fair [Taylor’s] senior year.” (75) This sense of connection early on in their relationship allowed for them to feel more comfortable and familiar with each other. When Lou Ann realized the extent of this connection between her and Taylor, she “hid her mouth with her hand. “What?” I (Taylor) said. “Nothing.” I could see perfectly well that she was smiling. “Come on, what is it?” “It’s been so long,” she (Lou Ann) said. “You talk just like me.” (79), this revelation that opened up the door to all that the two shared even though just meeting made their relationship grow at a faster and more rapid pace. They were able to get much closer together in the time they spent together because of these similarities. When Sunessa and I used to go to the same school, we always found ourselves playing and spending time together because it was the easiest thing to do. We always felt more comfortable around each other because our parents were already good friends, and we could both relate to the fact that we were Indian. Taylor and Lou Ann hold a similar friendship. Taylor and Lou Ann are both in the same predicament. They are both single women living together with a
The Arizona atmosphere was visibly different in both literal and nonliteral ways from Kentucky. Taylor’s lifestyle would have been drastically contrasting with how she thrived in her new home of Tucson. Apart from having a night and day experience at maternity, and getting a fresh start at life on her own, Taylor also met a new group of people who changed her in many ways. Lou Ann, who molded her into a better mother, Mattie, who helped her to overcome fears, Esperanza, though she spoke very little, managed to open Taylor’s eyes the horrors of a life she would never have to experience, and finally Turtle, who made Taylor realize what she loved most in life. Pittman, Kentucky did not have any of these individuals to teach the protagonist of this story.
Taylor only had two goals in her life at the start of this book and these were to not get pregnant and leave Pittman, Kentucky one day. She fulfills one of these by leaving the only home she has ever known and drives west with little money and no real plan on what she is going to do. Taylor is determined to avoid being tied down. She says, “I knew the scenery of Greenup Road, which we called Steam-It-Up-Road, and I knew what a pecker looked like, and none of these sights had so far inspired me to get hogtied to a future as a tobacco farmer's wife" (3). She is filled with ambition and drive. Taylor wants more than what Pittman offers. Taylor leaving Kentucky is showin...
The families living conditions were horrible. They lived in a very small apartment which at times had more than ten people living in it. Since LaJoe was a very friendly and considerate person, she brought many kids and adults "under her wing" and took care of them when in need. Some kids in the neighborhood even called her "mom." LaJoe did not have the heart to turn her back on anyone that appeared at her door.
...inding a way to make what she wants happen. Lou Ann's total transformation from a timid housewife to a strong single mother came through unique experiences that she was able to thrive from.
Throughout the story, Taylor grows as a person and learns what it means to be part of a family. Kingsolver's choices for point of view, setting, conflict, theme, characterization, and style help support the plot and create an uplifting story with a positive message.
Two different stories, two different individuals, two different lives, but one thing is obvious in both stories, each situation is the same. Whether it is the hardships that one faced or the wealth that the other enjoyed, each grandmother was a victim. A victim to something many people are afraid to talk about. In both stories each grandmother goes through a form of disrespect, because of their race. Racism was an issue then to some it is still an issue now. To me these two different ladies are not different at all they are actually the same. They are both individuals that were placed in certain situations for certain reasons. Not everything in life will be filled with enjoymen...
As for the analysis of the book itself, although the author aims toward providing a chronicle of two years in the lives of the two brothers, he actually ends up writing more about their mother. He discusses LaJoe's parents, how they met and married and why they moved to Horner. He depicts LaJoe as an extremely kind-hearted yet tough woman who will do anything to help not only her own family, but all the neighborhood children as well. LaJoe feeds and cares for many of the neighborhood children. For this, she is rare and special in an environment of black mothers who are prostitutes and drug addicts. She sticks by her children when most mothers would be ashamed and disown them. I finished this book feeling a great deal of respect and admiration for LaJoe and everytihg she went through.
Annie’s role is that of the stereotypical Mammy. The Mammy as a controlling image influences Black women deeply, for she is the caregiver to White children while neglecting her own, she cooks and cleans after a White family and is happy while doing so, thus as she works hard as men do, she is not viewed in the same feminine lens. Collins describes how this image was created to justify the exploitation of Black women doing domestic services, “by loving, nurturing, and caring for her White children and “family” better than her own, the mammy symbolizes the dominant group’s perceptions of the ideal Black female relationship to elite White male power” (71). Therefore even as Annie takes care of her daughter and Lora’s, Annie is eager and accepting of her subordination. Collins further states “Black women who internalize the mammy image potentially become effective conduits for perpetuating racial oppression. Ideas about mammy buttress racial hierarchies in other ways. Employing Black women in mammified occupations supports the racial superiority of White employers” (72). This is seen within the film, both by the role Annie symbolizes and the fact that this role was offered to Black women during that
All in all, these two characters were very similar. They both had the same selfish motivations. They both wanted something, and they didn't care what they did to get it. They also had the same reasons for keeping their secrets quiet, they were afraid of embarrassment. And in the end they both ruined their lives. Mrs. Loisel had to be a hard working woman for 10 years, which really took a toll on her. The grandmother was killed, as well as the rest of her family. If Mrs. Loisel and the grandmother would have told the truth from the start none of this would have happened. But now, just like most everyone in life, they were forced to pay the consequences for doing something wrong. Even though they didn't deserve the punishment they got, I guess it was all in the "luck" of the draw.
When Taylor and Lou Ann meet, they form a symbiotic relationship and fill the missing gaps in each others lives. Once the two women move in with each other, Lou Ann fills Taylor’s missing gap of motherly experience and opens her eyes to a life full of responsibilities. Lou Ann is soft, motherly, and worrisome. Because of the fact that she is afraid of almost everything, she fits perfectly into the worrying mother role in she and Taylor’s relationship. “For Lou Ann, life itself was a life-threatening enterprise. Nothing on earth was truly harmless.” (112) This shows how Lou Ann looks at the bad side of many things in life and how each things serves as a threat to her and her baby. We see Taylor go through a major transition from confident and stubborn to tenderhearted and doubtful. After Turtle’s terrible incident, Taylor constantly blames herself for what happened. “At night I lay listening to noises outside, listening to Turtle breathe, thinking: she could have been killed. So easily she could be dead right now.” (228) This shows how she now worries about things just as much as Lou Ann used to. Taylor
Taylor refers to herself when she was younger, along with a neighbor boy, as "dirty-kneed kids scrapping to beat hell and trying to land on our feet" (TBT 2). Her independence is also evident in the way she dressed. When teased that she dressed like an eye test for color blindness, she reveals she was actually flattered. "I had decided early on that if I couldn't dress elegant, I'd dress memorable" (TBT 6).
The essay “Homeward Bound” By Janet Wu reminds us that we can have feelings towards people who we are so different from us, also it shows us the importance of having this kind of relationship no matter the contrast. Wu talks about her and her grandmother. Her father was separated from his family in the 20th century, which made him move to the US. But her father has tried to contact his family for 30 years, until he came to know that his mother and brother were alive, so the first thing he did was to gather his family and go to China. When Wu first met her grandmother, they both had feelings towards each other, Wu says “And yet we communicated something strange and beautiful. I found it easy
The mistress and Linda are complete contrasts of another. Willy’s mistress, who is not given a name, is needy, materialistic, and immorale. Willy’s wife, Linda, is loving, caring, and defensive on her husband’s behalf. Willy’s wife takes care of the entire home, paying the bills, cooks, cleans, and puts everything before herself. She even goes as far as to fix her teared stockings instead of buying new ones because she takes care of the financials in the home.
Since the two girls can hardly stand to be in each other's rooms, they frequently go out. But even in their choices of a good time, they have severe differences. Sandra is very quiet and shy. She doesn't like to be around a lot of people that she doesn'...
Taylor’s grandmother was a famous opera singer. Her name was Marjorie Finaly. She was Taylor’s inspiration for music. She would sing during family parties. She was the center of attention. She performed in many different countries. She performed in many operas and musicals. Taylor could memor...