Landscape for a Good Woman

 Word Count: 264 words

This story describes two different lives from a mother to her daughter, taking place in the 1950s. The author describes how she was made to feel like a burden her entire life by her mother for being a part of the working class. We see this perspective and it is heartbreaking for a child to feel this way by her own mother. Women are expected to always want children, so this comes off shocking when a mother cannot demonstrate her love for her child. From a young age the author is instilled to know that there is a huge drop off in society to those in the working class. They will never get what the rich have, and these different classes completely separate them. She learns that their is no way to move classes or earn a better life for yourself, which is entirely wrong. This is deemed an ordinary life, but is far from it once stepping into their shoes. Something interesting to take away from this reading is stories we tell ourselves about our own lives. Clearly we have different perspectives on our lives as do those on the outside, watching our lives unfold.

She says, "This book, then, is about interpretations, about the places where we rework what has already happened to give current events meaning. It is about the stories we make for ourselves, and the social specificity of our understanding of those stories." We see here that even we, as readers, are welcome to interpret her story in our on ways, and take the important things she has learned.