Summary Of Stone Soup By Barbara Kingslover

The way we treat others

Barbara Kingslover wrote “Stone Soup” “which is taken from High Tide in Tucson: Essays for Now or Never, published in 1995”. Some views she convey in her essay are these. Kingslover explains that not all men are the prince that you fall in love with and “live happily ever after,” he may be very feminine and be more like a princess. On the other hand, you may have looked in your box of crayons. You pick out a color that your parents may not approve, even though you see the good of this person. She is very passionate in her writing. She shows a considerable amount of emotion. Which is not bad, she will make you think of your own relationship and how you treat others. Therefore, some of the effects that she has

written I will go through and tell you what I have learned from her experience.
Not all marriages are perfect. For example, families come in all different shapes and sizes. All families turn out differently. Fights may occur and others do not see what is happening in your home. If you do find out what is going on then something that could help would be to bring a casserole over and show that you care, you may be able to help, this may not be the case for everyone. Kingslover made the comment that “friends who hold your hand and say the wrong things are better friends than ones that turn you away and have nothing to do with you”. For instance, when a person has only a pot and everyone else has very little, you put it all together and get a great soup to have with each other. When we help each other out and give to each other we have a wonderful pot of soup that all of us can share.
Although you may not see married couples in the confines of their home, you may see them differently outside of the home. Their life may look amazing on the outside where others see a couple’s life. It may not be that way inside of the home. Marriage is a precious jewel and you have to take care of it no matter what. Trying to put the pieces together not knowing what will come next for her. It has nothing to do with how you feel about them. It has everything to do with how they feel for others. This does not make them bad as people. It is a choice that they have made. It is an example that we all have a way of explaining and I have explained it this way. Not all divorces end because of the couple of examples that has been explained and even after a divorce no matter how it happened. You still have to work and work hard at life in any situation.
Kingslover explains that when you she was young she would play with paper dolls that she had made. Imagining how her life would be as she grew up. When the time came, she found herself in a very different life than what was imagined. Her life turn to the point of what do I do now. Her husband was not the person that she thought that he was. He was a different person, loving men instead of woman. Life changed for her she now was the breadwinner of the family and she looked back at the 1950’s when woman had to work because of the past wars. As in, the 1950’s, 25 percent of the population were poor, not having food stamps to rely on. Life was shattered for her and did not know how to put her life back together. Family life now consisted of going to a ball game where you have a single mom, grandparents, dad and his partner, step brother and step daughter all rooting for a child playing ball. Knowing that everything is different than what she thought that her life would be. Trying to put the pieces together not knowing what will come next for her.

Here are some of the ways that she would suggest that you could help someone out in a situation like this. You may want to take something over to them and not treat them as if they have a plague. Be a friend to them, listen to what they are saying and be their when they need you. Kingslover said that a friend that says the wrong thing is a better friend than one that disowns you and not be your friend.
Kingsolver clarifies the need to let go of the fairy tale families, who function perfectly.

In the past few decades, the family has been reshaped by the economic tides. Looking at family, this may cause the thought of feeling that it may be “Humpty Dumpty” and as a society have to put the family back together again. In general, serve the family to the fullest possible way that is recognized. No matter how the family unit may look like, they may be the fairy tale family or a single family, divorced or even gay. However, it is still a family. Others may see members of a family that may be punched by a single blow, figuratively speaking. Therefore, help them up and brush off the dust from the blow, which was given. With a situation like this asking for help is not a bad idea. Be it a family member or a close friend, maybe even a neighbor. The family may not be around to help you. People that love you will help. Ask others to be willing to babysit the children, grandchildren, for a short time or even for a longer period. It may be something else that there may be a need, still, ask for that help. More and more families live with each other and help one another. Therefore, serving the family who may be struggling, this may not work for everyone, that is okay to feel that it would not. Yet it might, not knowing what is going to happen is the hardest part. For a single parent, this support is the pillar of a family. Continually helping one another when the need

arises, this is done all in the name of the family wanting to teach and raise a child or children to their fullest potential.

Kingslover really tugs at your heart when she starts out talking about family values.

Therefore she explained how she used to make paper dolls as I have said before, they consisted of a safe and secure place from reality of the world. Her life transformed and she saw marriage in a innumerable light. Seeing it another way than others have seen it. She questioned how she could find herself in the world that we live in. Her paper dolls were not as she imagined growing up, nowhere the fairy tales that she thought of, and trying to figure out how to fit her life into society.

She did not exist in the happily ever after world that she thought that she would have for her life. Kingslover made the comment who needs Cinderella and her step sisters in the picture. All they really did was argue over dresses. She continues to say that the sooner we get rid of the fairy tale stories, then we might embrace on to our community. Family values changed for her ideal life and she now is wondering how to find her new self. She also realized that her shattered family is putting things back together again. Life is not always about fairy tales and paper dolls. When we judge family, it does not matter what kind we are judging it like a book cover and not the book that is inside of the over. We do not know what is inside if we do that. Living in this life is a crazy mixed up world no matter what your family may look like it is still family. This is the reality of life. Treat it as if you were treating

something precious, for family is precious and we need to treat it with kid gloves.
In conclusion, not everyone you meet has a relationship you see are good. We judge people for what we see on the outside and not know what is going on in the inside of their heart and home. Sometimes people do not always appear, as they seem. When we meet, others get to know them before you judge that person. When you do this, you can love people as they are, not as others may think that you see them as. For instance, when a person has only a pot and everyone else has very little, they put into the pot, when you do you can stir it up and have a wonderful friendship and you treat others in a different way if you are all in the same pot. You want to help each other out and share the good that both of you have. Treat others the way that you would want to be treated. I have once again learned that you love people for who they are and not what we expect them to be. I have found that love will go a long way. Love each other and let others know that you really do care.