Section 3: 193- 295
This section of the book proved to
be quite eventful. It was filled with ups and downs and many surprises. An
important new development that I was slightly disappointed about was that Mattie
finally gets to go work in the hotel. The only reason I’m not happy that her Pa
let her is because he did because he needed the money and he’s going to use the
money that she works for. I liked when she said, “I was to receive four dollars
a week. Pa said I could keep a dollar back for myself. I told him I would keep
back two or I would not go” (242). This shows that she is starting to stand up
for herself. Matt is growing up, becoming a woman, and getting a voice for
herself. There are many other aspects of growing up that also become apparent.
Royal asks her to marry him! I was excited when I first read this because it
seems as though she is infatuated with him. However, as I kept thinking about
it I soon began to feel hesitant about the whole situation. If she marries him
than there is no way she can go Barnard. College is her dream and I feel it
would be a mistake for her to give up on her dream over one boy. Relationships
can be a tricky part of life though, and we discover more about other
relationships as we continue to read as well. She reads more of the letters and
begins to discover more about the relationship between Grace Brown and Chester/
Carl. I find this part of the story to be frustrating still. I want to learn
more about her death and Mattie’s life working at the hotel. However, in both
parts of the story she is close to Ms. Wilcox and spends more time with her. I
was shocked, just like Mattie was, to find out who she really is. Her real name
was Emily Baxter and she was “the country’s most scandalous lady poet” (223). I
really like her character and role in the story; I’m happy that someone finally
supports Matt. I find the end of this section to be completely devastating though.
When I read that her whole family gets sick my heart dropped. When she said “Then
I heard the sound of choked, quite tears, as I sat down on the top of the
stairs and wept” (295) I wanted to cry along with her. Mattie’s been through so
much at this point I wish I could help her. I am hoping by the last section her
life starts to turn around and everything works out perfectly.
I like how you pointed to how Mattie has begun to stand up for herself. It seems like a lot of times she gave in to her father. I feel she does this because she feels somewhat bad for him. He’s basically a single father running a farm with only help from his children. On top of that, his eldest son left to go to New York and now Mattie may end up doing the same. The author wants you to sympathize with Mattie’s Pa but readers are conflicted when that sympathy overshadows what is good and fair for Mattie. Earlier in the book I’m sure Mattie would have given in to her Pa’s request and let him keep three dollars. But now, she is maturing and realizing that she needs money as well, and two dollars is a generous share for her father. I also had a similar reaction when I found out Mattie’s whole family was sick. Not only was sickness much more serious in that time period but Mattie and the rest of her family had enough going on as it is. A disruption like this could prove devastating to the farm and Mattie’s chances of going to college. It sad to think that all her hard work could be for nothing. At the same time, the fact that Mattie is caring for her entire family reminds readers just how mature she is for her age.
ReplyDeleteI can understand how you called Mattie finally getting the job she wanted as a disappointment. At first I thought how could this be a bad thing, but then as you said her father demanded 3/4 of her pay which is really disappointing. I like how you said that Mattie is beginning to stand up for herself. As usual Mattie would just listen to her fathers very order without any resistance, but we can see a character change in Mattie, and she is becoming more assertive and she is standing up for herself by denying to work unless she gets half of what she earns. Although I feel happy for Mattie, I can understand her father asking for more money because he basically has to raise his kids and tend a farm all by himself with some help from his kids. Royal asking Mattie to mary him is also a great shocker, and this will be a big decision for Mattie to chose either Mary Royal or go to college. I personally would rather see her go to college but it will be interesting to see what ends up happening.
ReplyDelete