¶ … wear her brother's hand-me-down old blue jeans was a turning point for both the mother-daughter relationship and the freedom and spirit of the daughter. She is able to grow up freely and does not give up her femininity (Schiel, pg. 57). As she grows she helps her brother work on cars, and she gets her own.22 (Schiel, pg. 57-58). There are fishing expeditions and bicycle riding and chemistry sets and wood tools along with 'girlie' presents for Christmas (Schiel, pg. 58). In the last segment of the story the mother is also wearing blue jeans. The world overall, and the world of the mother and daughter, have both changed.
Her father beat her mother because of his own failings and the way that he felt so insignificant, and the way that he thought he was intellectually so far above the people who he was 'boxed in' by (Njeri, pg. 74). He took it out on people who were weaker than he was and could not defend themselves, but only where his family was concerned. Outsiders loved him. The author, though, presents only what happened in a very factual way and does not dwell on whether what her father did was 'good' or 'bad. It seems as though she is withholding judgment so that people who read what she has to say can pay clear attention to the actual details, allowing them to draw their own conclusions and make their own judgments.
3. Russell (pg. 60) has a love affair with food that would not be considered healthy, and he does point out the problems that are being seen today with unhealthy eating habits and obesity in this nation. His is not a scathing commentary, though, but rather a look back at his childhood and his grandmother. How he sees food is not so much about its calorie count, but more about a hearty helping of nostalgia (Russell, pg. 63). He knows it is bad for him when it comes to things like cholesterol, but the food is good for his soul and his peace and his memories, and sometimes those things must take precedence over the fear of calories, fat, and sugar.
Bibliography
Njeri, Itabari. "Life with Father" Writing to understand experience. In Miller, Chapter 1, pg. 71.
Sanders, Scott Russell. "Grub" Writing to understand experience. In Miller, Chapter 1, pg. 60.
Schiel, Marilyn. "Levis" Writing to understand experience. In Miller, Chapter 1, pg. 55.
