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Essays about being a single mother
The role of a parent
Essays about being a single mother
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Sometimes you can not provide as much as you want because of your situation. In the short story “Average waves in unprotected waters” by Anne Tyler, Bet is a single mom who has trouble providing for her son, Arnold. Arnold has a mental disorder and does not know his dad who left when he was first diagnosed. Bet wants the best for her son but is having a tough time providing because she does not make a large amount money. She wants Arnold to fit in; have the same clothes as the other boys. The biggest problem that Bet faces is herself. She is a single mom that does not make a lot of money and still has to provide for her mentally disabled son. In a few instances she also faces conflict with Arnold but these are mostly physical challenges, there …show more content…
is no deeper meaning. Bet has reached her max and is having difficulty caring for Arnold.
They are living “in an ancient, crumbling house” but it was all they could afford. Arnold still manages to tear apart the already crumbling house by ripping things up and peeling off the wallpaper. This results in Bet having to clean up after him. She does it willingly because she wants him to feel loved and that he is no different from anyone else. She tries not to let the things he does affect her, but after all of these years of caring for him it is getting harder. She never fights with herself about caring for him or about the things that he does; she just accepts every act. She does everything she can to give him the best life. On the days she went to work, Arnold would spend the day with Mrs. Puckett. As Arnold was getting older she could no longer manage him by herself because he was to “strong and wild to manage.” She felt ashamed of herself, like she should have done more to help him. Arnolds mom went back and forth with herself about letting Mrs. Puckett watch him and now she can not help him either. She does not want to give him up, she has to make a tough decision as far as what to do to help better Arnold’s life. She knows that she can no longer provide for him and wants to send him somewhere that the people can provide for …show more content…
him. Bet knows that she must do something to help Arnold, but does not know what.
One day she packs his bags, says goodbye to Mrs. Puckett and gets on the train. At this point Arnold did not know what was happening or where they were going but this was nothing new since he was slightly clueless much of the time. On the train, Bet felt ashamed of herself for not bringing a picture book for Arnold to look at, although, she did pack many other distractions for him including gum, cookies, and pills in case of an emergency. At last they safely arrived at Parkins State Hospital which was where Bet decided was a better place for Arnold. Bet was nervous because she did not want to leave Arnold and so she told the cab driver to wait for her until she came back from inside, maybe hoping that Arnold would refuse to stay at the hospital. She began to second guess her decision because the place was sad, the kids could not express themselves, and the “flat fronted nurse” which represented the unmotherly nature of the place, reminded her of of how well she cared for him. Bet was scared for him because he did not know what was going on or that he was going to stay there but she needed to trust that he was in good hands and they would help to better his life. As soon as she said goodbye to Arnold she had to leave, she was in a hurry. She first had to make it in time for the train back home, but also she wanted to get away from Arnold so that she could forget and stop thinking of all she could
have done differently. She does not even know what to do with all of her free time since she is not constantly having to monitor Arnold. Now she can live her own life and do the things she wants to do. She has not been thinking about Arnold, which is a good thing and shows that she overcame the problem she was having with herself of what to do with Arnold. Bet is a strong women who made a very tough decision, but is now able to enjoy and have her own life without having to do everything for her son.
Mama talks to Walter about her fears of the family falling apart. This is the reason she bought the house and she wants him to understand. Walter doesn't understand and gets angry. "What you need me to say you done right for? You the head of this family. You run our lives like you want to. It was your money and you did what you wanted with it. So what you need for me to say it was all right for? So you butchered up a dream of mine - you - who always talking 'bout your children's dreams..." Walter is so obsessive over money that he yells at his mom for not giving him all of it. He doesn't know that what his mom is doing is for the family. He thinks that having money will make the family happy, when in reality the family doesn't need anymore than what they have to be happy.
In Mary’s household, her two sons and daughter are dependent on her. Mary is head of the household and is currently going through a divorce. Mary is close to losing her house, car, and internet services. She hires babysitters for the days/nights that she has to work. Her children know that times are tough, and continuously encourage their mother. However, her son Quinn is dealing with the divorce and poor living in
Both Alex and Clinton struggle with problems of their family and others. Alex feels as if he is treated different when hes is, but thats not what he wants everyone to treat him as,by his family, Jennifer, and other people. Clinton is treated as an outcast, his friends don’t want to hang out with him no more and his little sister treats him as a monster. He begins to realized what he ha...
In Junot Diaz’s essay “The Money” he explains where his family stands economically. Stating that his father was regularly being fired from his forklifting jobs and his mother 's only job was to care for him and his four siblings. With the money brought home by his father, his mom would save some. Her reason was to raise enough to send to her parents back in the Dominican Republic. When his family went on a vacation, they came back to an unpleasant surprise; their house had been broke into. Eventually Diaz was able to get back their money and belongings. Diaz returned the money to his mother although she didn’t thank him for it, this disappointed him. Like Diaz I have also encountered a similar situation where I was disappointed. When I was in second grade, my life life took a completely different turn. My dad took an unexpected trip to Guatemala, on his return, the outcome was not what I expected.
...s to flourish but she loves them both unconditionally. She doesn’t give up but instead she does all that she can to support it by having faith while hoping that one day it will truly prosper. Her faith is tested when she turns over the left over money to Walter. At first, Mama’s trust is unwise when Walter loses all the money. However, Mama says, “He finally come into his manhood today, didn’t he? Kind of like a rainbow after the rain…” (Hansberry 151). This shows that her faith is recovered when Walter refused the offer given by Mr. Lindner.
I think in some strange way Arnold becomes to Connie the way to escape into her fantasy. When she learns his true intentions she is scared to death at first but eventually that fear gives way to "an emptiness." Connie thinks, "I'm not going to see my mother again... I'm not going to sleep in my bed again.
In the essay “Suitcase Lady” by Christie McLaren, she proves that even people you least expect to be successful can be. Although the main character may not be successful in the business aspect, she is successful! She may be in an uncomfortable situation but as she states here: “I...always try to do the best to help people- the elderly, and kids, and my country, and my city of Toronto, Ontario” (5). Even though she is homeless, she still is relatively happy and she is respectful of other people, making her successful. However, she is unsuccessful when it comes to her family. The suitcase lady seemed to have struggled with money for quite sometime making it hard for her to start a family, “We never got along well because I didn’t bring him up. I was too poor. He never called me mama” (4). She seems quite upset about the fact that her own son and her do not get along. She clearly does love her child but she had a hard time making sure he had a high quality of life so she had to give him away. Therefore, she is unsuccessful with her family, making her lack the happiness she
Living in poverty as a lower class individual can be very stressful, anxious, and very little to no resources in order to survive for their own needs, as a person and also the needs of their family on a daily basis. Most, individuals who may live in poverty in the U.S. are single mothers who have children to raise on their own. In addition, to all single mothers, who can relate to the needs of working multiple jobs, and occasionally are going to school and getting a higher education; is not an easy job. Single mothers their first priority is to provide the needs of their living conditions and provide all of the needs of their own children. The following article “Angela Whitiker’s Climb” (2005), by Isabel Wilkerson was a case study
After a decade of not seeing his mother and brother, Howard returns to his hometown in Mississippi. It is evident how thrilled he is. As the train approaches town, he begins “to feel curious little movements of the heart, like a lover as he nears his sweetheart” (par. 3). He expects this visit to be a marvelous and welcoming homecoming. His career and travel have kept his schedule extremely full, causing him to previously postpone this trip to visit his family. Although he does not immediately recognize his behavior in the past ten years as neglectful, there are many factors that make him aware of it. For instance, Mrs. McLane, Howard’s mother, has aged tremendously since he last saw her. She has “grown unable to write” (par. 72). Her declining health condition is an indicator of Howard’s inattentiveness to his family; he has not been present to see her become ill. His neglect strikes him harder when he sees “a gray –haired woman” that showed “sorrow, resignation, and a sort of dumb despair in her attitude” (par. 91). Clearly, she is growing old, and Howard feels guilty for not attending her needs for such a long time period: “his throat [aches] with remorse and pity” (par. 439). He has been too occupied with his “excited and pleasurable life” that he has “neglected her” (par. 92). Another indication of Howard’s neglect is the fact that his family no longer owns the farm and house where he grew up. They now reside in a poorly conditioned home:
...omes unemotional, letting herself believe in the fantasy Arnold paints to make leaving with him easier in order to save her family.
The story begins when she and her husband have just moved into a colonial mansion to relieve her chronic nervousness. An ailment her husband has conveniently diagnosed. The husband is a physician and in the beginning of her writing she has nothing but good things to say about him, which is very obedient of her. She speaks of her husband as if he is a father figure and nothing like an equal, which is so important in a relationship. She writes, "He is very careful and loving, and hardly lets me stir without special direction." It is in this manner that she first delicately speaks of his total control over her without meaning to and how she has no choices whatsoever. This control is perhaps so imbedded in our main character that it is even seen in her secret writing; "John says the very worst thing I can do is to think about my condition...so I will let it alone and talk about the house." Her husband suggests enormous amounts of bed rest and no human interaction at all. He chooses a "prison-like" room for them to reside in that he anticipates will calm our main character even more into a comma like life but instead awakens her and slowly but surely opens her eyes to a woman tearing the walls down to freedom.
Her home ultimately represents the life she has always known—a trouble-free and supportive environment in which she feels safe. Yet the doorway that separates her from Arnold Friend symbolizes a threshold into the unknown, a point of uncertainty that Connie is reluctant to venture into. However, her home remains a constant symbol of stability and safety as Arnold states, “I always tell the truth and I promise you this: I ain't coming in that house after you” (Oates par. 80). Whether or not Arnold’s claim was valid, Connie finds comfort and reassurance that she is protected by her house. Unfortunately, during Connie’s final hypnotic episode, she loses the ability to take control of her decisions and actions, as she has yet to define her own identity. Despite the unconventional behavior of Arnold Friend, he provides her with attention, which is essentially all she has ever desired. Connie’s internal conflict towards the end of the story represents her struggle to decide between saving her home and family or giving in to the demands of Arnold who provides her with the attention she has been seeking. Oates employs this omnipresent usage of symbolism in order to distinguish between the young and innocent Connie who is afraid to leave her house and the self-centered and attention-seeking Connie who is willing to depart from her house as long as Arnold takes heed of her. By using this specific symbolism, Oates displays her disapproval for the new ego and attitude of Connie and the consequential decisions and actions she makes as a
Every time the family comes to a confrontation someone retreats to the past and reflects on life as it was back then, not dealing with life as it is for them today. Tom, assuming the macho role of the man of the house, babies and shelters Laura from the outside world. His mother reminds him that he is to feel a responsibility for his sister. He carries this burden throughout the play. His mother knows if it were not for his sisters needs he would have been long gone. Laura must pickup on some of this, she is so sensitive she must sense Toms feeling of being trapped. Tom dreams of going away to learn of the world, Laura is aware of this and she is frightened of what may become of them if he were to leave.
Due to Tonya’s mothers and step fathers disabilities, they live on a fix income. Since most people who live on a fixed income, they fall into t...
While talking with his teacher, Mr. P, Arnold is told that he needs to go wherever there is hope. “You have to take your hope and go somewhere where other people have hope.” (Alexie 43) However, Mr. P wasn’t the only one helping Arnold. After switching from Wellpinit to Reardan, Arnold picks up some unlikely friends: Roger and Penelope. Each of them teach him something, and even keep his secret of being poor after he admits he can’t pay for going out to eat after a school dance he couldn’t even afford. “He’s not going to tell anybody. Roger likes you.” (Alexie 127) Arnold recognizes the value of these people helping him through the struggles of being the poor kid in a school dominated by students from well off families. Although he may continue to be held down by poverty, Arnold discovers that being vulnerable to friends can sometimes lead to unexpected support and people you can rely on. Arnold’s perseverance shines when he decides to attend Reardan despite its risks, and the loss of his best friend Rowdy as a result. Not letting exhaustion and the blisters on his feet take away his determination, Arnold still attends school every