A Life of Her Own

 Word count: 269 words

Emilie was faced with struggle from an early age, not having a mother in her family, and being in a peasant family on top of this. Her mother died at the age of 4, a crucial person in the upbringing of a child. She worked with her father in the fields and learned a lot about life, especially about her strengths and her smarts. They had to work to survive, building character at a very young age. She is amazing at comparing her life story to lots of other women, because we are all not as different as we may think. She talks about how each of these important woman had a reason for sharing their story, a purpose as we all have. No matter how different the women, we are each important to the stories of all. She is interested in hearing the stories of other women, their struggles, accomplishments, etc., we all are significant enough to have a story to share. Teaching children helped Emilie to feel a motherly role and teach these children important lessons. She was independent as she stayed with her fiance although she received backlash from her father and her mother in law. She says, "I fought right back, no one would tell me what to do; father or not. I would not go along: (89). She knew what she wanted in her life and what was best for herself, she did not need a hard time from anyone else, she had already been given a hard life. She was determined to put an end to it and push through the tumultuous times.