Shirley was feeling very lonely, because Shirley thought she wasn’t going to have anyone to talk to. Once the teacher introduced Shirley, she felt right in with the other kids in her class. Shirley ran home to her mother and father; told them what a great day she had at Brooklyn Elementary School. Shirley and Fourth Cousin were unique in their on special ways. Shirley and Fourth Cousin was their parent’s only child, and they were spoiled growing up.
Esmeralda Santiago, Negi, had no idea how hard her childhood would be. With constant moving around and the nonstop bickering of her parents, it was tough for Negi to find her identity. A move to the big city changed her life forever. The author of When I was Puerto Rican writes about finally finding her identity. When Negi was a young girl, she lived in a tin house in Macún, Puerto Rico.
Despite all of the struggles that she faces, Precious is incredibly resilient and strong. Precious’ first child, Mongo, lives with her maternal great-grandmother, Shelia. Mongo has Down’s syndrome and has developmental delays because of it. Mary (Precious’ mother) does not work, nor does she want to. She receives food stamps and other forms of aid through manipulating the welfare system by saying that Mongo lives in the apartment with she and Precious, when in reality, Mongo lives with her great grandmother.
According to Erik Erikson's theory Trust vs Mistrust a person thinks that you can trust someone but they really cant. For example Carmen comes home feeling hurt, betrayal, anger and shame by her father as he now has a new family and she turns immediately to Tibby for comfort and advice. Tibby's friendship with Bailey, a young girl with leukemia, reinforces the feelings she has for the Sisterhood, because her death shows Tibby how important the small pleasures she gave to others while alive can be emulated when she is within the Sisterhood. Bridget learned when Lena organized the girls to come to her aid even when she was in Greece that no matter how big the problem may seem, there is always someone you love to catch you when you fall. Lena learned that she could give her heart within the fear of rejection, and then be the one who comforts when others like Bridget, feel rejection as well.
Connie’s Escape Connie is fifteen and is always worried about how her appearance looks. Her mother don't like the fact she spends more time looking her self herself in the mirror then being neat and responsible like June, her older sister. Connie seems to ignores her mother’s criticisms most of the time. In order to escape her reality she opens the screen door to get away for from her family and be in some kind of fantasy. I think there were other reasons also, but the story points to this one in many places.
Soon enough her father died and kids started picking on her about her complexion. Char the most popular girl in the grade, makes a deal with Maleeka that if she does her homework for her Char will always stick up for her and allow Maleeka to borrow clothes. Maleeka wants to be so liked by people in school she agrees and starts hanging out with Char. A new teacher than arrives at the school. Miss Saunders also gets made fun of because of the big blotch she has on her face which is her birth mark.
The new bicycle is soon forgotten when they move across the country, once again creating disappointment. Jeanette always needed a reason for doing things, unless her parents told her otherwise. She was maturing “I had always wanted a watch…that was the kind of person I wanted to be” (Walls 216). This shows her need for practicality or reasoning and her plans for the future and where she stands in level of maturity. Her mother brings home a piano, but there is no room for it in the house.
Ellen moved in with her grandmother and started working on a cotton field and grew close to another worker named Mavis. After growing close to Mavis, Ellen realized she has no real reason to feel above African Americans just because she is white. She saw the way they work and the way they treat each other and she realized she was being unfair and rude. Especially to her best friend Starletta, Ellen says at the end of the novel, “Well I came to your house so much because I did not want to be with my daddy and mostly because I like you so much.” (125) Kaye Gibbons wrote Ellen Foster for the world to understand that child abuse is a very serious thing and no one is taking an action for it. It landed on Oprah’s best read’s lists and people started to understand that the
Unwanted As a child, O’Neill would go from town to town with her mother who thought she was so intelligent and did not need a job. As she got older, they realized living with relatives was not the best idea and that the best idea was for her to go live with her father in Montreal. In Lullabies for Little Criminals, O’Neill emphasizes the struggles of being an unwanted child using similes, metaphors and conflict. Many similes are used throughout the entire novel; this can be shown through the following quote, “A set of fake nails were lying in [the soap dish], like petals that had fallen off a flower” (O’Neill, 5). This relates back to being an unwanted child, because flowers are beautiful and to Baby these fake nails are probably beautiful.
Feeling like she is not good enough, Rayona goes out of her way to get his attention and make him want to be with her. About this, Rayona says, “I have tried things on Dad…tears, good grades, writing letters, getting him presents…He’d smile or send me a postcard or promise to call tomorrow and then weeks would pass” (9). Ray’s mom, on the other hand, is present in her life and takes care of her daughter, but Rayona is still often alone. Leaving Rayona at home by herself, her mother goes out and parties. When Ray’s mother, Christine, sneaks out of the hospital, she plans to drive to Tacoma to kill herself and leave Rayona behind.