“’Do you know what this town is saying about me?’ my mother answers from above. ‘They say that my daughter is common, a slut’”
Meredith's mother is the worst mother ever, the worst mother award goes to her. While she was working sound Hampton beach during the summer she brought her daughter along with her. The mother is now with this man Peter, she is not paying attention to her children as much as she should. She broke down whatever structure they had when Meredith's parents were still together. Her mother had expectations and old rules she expected her to follow. Meredith before her pregnancy was frightened because her mother was not enforcing these rules. She was living this new life with her mother and she seemed uncomfortable about it. Meredith even mentions how she is caught between her old safe life at home and the new life which her mother is creating. Meredith had small cries for help bottled up, after her mother found out she was pregnant she just treated her so coldly. Not thinking about what her daughter must be going through, only how people in the community see her. All Meredith wanted was for someone to be there for her and support her, she just needed someone to open their arms up and hug her. Not treat her like some sort of outsider. Meredith's mother could not even comfort her own child when she was in distress.
I agree with you completely. Meredith is almost back when she was five and she just scraped her knee. She just needs someone to tell her that they will be there even if things are going badly. Her mother pretends she doesn't exist. She killed off her own child with her neglect. She blames Meredith, but she is the monster in this whole situation.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you.I also think that Meredith's mother was to be partly blamed for Meredith's actions. Her father married another woman and her own mother was always out with a guy. So what kind of impression does that create on a teenager? Also their lack of attention and care led to Meredith being a "bad girl".
ReplyDeleteyou tell 'em ! Literally there could not be anything worse! your family is supposed to be the ones that love and support you. there is already enough stress with the entire town treating her this way. Her home is supposed to be her escape from it all and her mother is just dragging it into the house so she van never have an escape.
ReplyDeleteOne of the indelible moments of this memoir for me is when she is trying to hard to get her mom's attention (we'll talk about this in class today) and her mom is off in her own world. It is so heartbreaking. So, where is she supposed to turn?
ReplyDeleteOne of the indelible moments of this memoir for me is when she is trying to hard to get her mom's attention (we'll talk about this in class today) and her mom is off in her own world. It is so heartbreaking. So, where is she supposed to turn?
ReplyDelete