Alison, this time, takes the reader deeper into her life as
the story progresses. In this chapter, Alison focuses on her deteriorating
relationship with her mother as well as her own maturity process. Alison
illustrates how she begins to feel both of her parents’ slip away from her.
With both of her parents being focused on their own aspirations, Alison
expresses how little they pay attention to her. Because she feels so isolated
from her parents, she begins to form her own individual by being completely on
her own. For example, when going to the football game, Alison dresses herself
as boy for the sake of her comfort zone. She states, “Putting on the formal
shirt with its studs and cufflinks was a nearly mystical pleasure, like finding
myself fluent in a language I’d never been taught (182)”. By putting on clothes
that she felt best suited her, she is now making her true self-aware to the
pubic rather than just herself.
Alison also discovers that her father, because of his legal
trial, is forced to go to counseling for six months. She believes that this is
the invisible link to one of the many reasons that her father’s death was a
suicide. At one point in the novel, Alison witnesses her father asking her
mother if his psychiatrist can come to the house. Her mother immediately turned
the idea away. Alison’s father rarely asked anything throughout the novel,
especially toward his wife. The fact that his wife turned him away, could be a
reason itself that he felt more alone than before.
When Alison finally decides to tell her mother about getting
her period for the first time, her mother did not express any nurturing toward
her daughter. Because both of Alison’s parents are so lost in their own worlds
(her mother working on her play and her father going through legal agreements),
she felt the need to look out for herself. Alison writes, “When I was ten, I
was obsessed with making sure my diary entries bore no false witness (169)”.
Any other young girl would first go to her mother when she begins maturing.
But, because Alison does not have that strong intimate relationship with her
mother, she began looking up words in the dictionary. This idea of Alison
becoming more independent confirms the idea that Alison (even at her young age)
did not need her parents as much, and she believed that they didn’t really need
her.
If Alison had a closer relationship with her parents, would her personality be any different? Did doing things on her own actually help her? Or hurt her (like her OCD)?
I agree with Jeanine. Alison is taking us deeper into her life. I realized in this chapter that even though her father is madly obsessed with the upbringing of their house, that her mother is obsessed with her thesis and her play. I agree with Jeanine when she says, "Alison illustrates how she begins to feel both of her parents’ slip away from her." I cant imagine not having a close relationship with my parents! They mean the world to me. When Alison told her mother about getting her period, she showed no sign of nurturing or that she said. She just asked if she needed pads or had cramps. Her little girl is now a woman, you would think that she would be warm and helpful. If Alison's had a closer relationship with her parents things would be much different. Alison wouldn't be the strong and independent individual that she is.
ReplyDeleteI felt that Alison dressing as a boy was a big step for her. While she would indirectly show her questioning of her sexuality, this was the first time she really showed who she wanted to be. I felt bad for Alison when she felt that she could not go to her mother when she got her period. In a girls teenage years, getting her period is a huge deal. It is also a major bonding opportunity for mothers and daughters. In Alison's case, it was more of an uncomfortable and awkward experience between her and her mother rather than a nurturing and comforting one. Alison was in denial about getting her period and kept it from her mother the first time she got it. I do feel that if Alison had a closer relationship with her parents, she would be much different. I feel that her relationships with her parents were quite detrimental on her childhood. On the contrary, without her struggles, she most likely would not have the success she has today with her books.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jeanine that Alison sees her father legal trial as an invisible link to what led to his suicide. Even at such a young age she sees how her father buying beer for young men is extremely weird and it was just a cover for him being a homosexual. Secondly as everyone else brought it up, when Alison has her period she goes to her mother to talk about it her mother shows no nurture or care towards her. This is just one time of the many in Alison's childhood that her mother neglects her emotionally. Could this neglect have led to her development of OCD down the road? Stephanie makes a good point though at the end of her comment which is without her struggles she wouldn't even have written this book and become a successful author. So i wonder in Alison's mind how does she balance out her emotions when her success came from her rough childhood?
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Jeanine's post. I think that if Alison was closer with her parents, she probably would be different. I believe she would be more outgoing if she had someone there to listen to her inner thoughts and feelings. She has somewhat of a better relationship with her mom compared to her dad, but she still can't tell her mother about her period without feeling uncomfortable which reveals their family's communication problems. Jeanine said, "because Alison does not have that strong intimate relationship with her mother, she began looking up words in the dictionary." This shows just how bad Alison and her mother's relationship is if she can't even talk to her about simple problems.
ReplyDelete