In the second half of the novel, Mirian prepares to leave
her family just as Lourdes had fourteen years earlier. For those fourteen years Belky,
Lourdes’s daughter, didn’t understand why her mother would leave her and
Enrique. The author states, “For the
first time, Belky understands her own mother’s choice to leave her as a young
child. She has watched Mirian’s
plight. She has seen her grapple
with the gut-wrenching decision to leave.
She agrees with Mirian’s decision” (220). By watching Mirian struggle to decide whether or not she
should leave, Belky begins to understand why her mother left. This shows how she has matured through
the years and is willing to look at the situation through her mother’s
eyes. Parents face many tough
decisions that can be hard for children to understand. For me, this was when my parents got divorced. I was young at the time and didn’t
understand why they would want to leave each other; however, now that I am
older I can acknowledge and appreciate their decision that bettered the
happiness of our family. My
parents are still good friends, and we all love each other. Their decision was difficult to
comprehend at the time, but I now understand, just like Belky understands her
mother’s decision to leave. Do you
recall a time when your parents made a decision that took time and maturity to
later understand?
When I was about three my mom, sister, and I had to go live with my grandparents for a little while since we had toxic mold in our house. I missed my dad, who stayed in Tennessee to work and watch the new house being built, and I missed all of my clothes and toys. I didn't understand what was going on, but once I got older I understood why I couldn't stay with my dad, and why I had give up all of my belongings.
ReplyDeleteI find this post very relatable because everyone understands new things through maturity. In my life alone, there have been countless small examples of decisions that I did not come to understand until I was older. These choices ranged from my parents not letting me eat candy right before dinner to them saying no when I would request that we pack up everything and move to Disney World when I was a toddler. From every loving "no" to "you won't understand until you're older", I would throw the same tantrum that is expected of an immature child. Harpeth Hall as a school has developed my ability to understand and think. In sixth grade, I applied to Harpeth Hall and was waitlisted, but friends quickly persuaded me to consider my acceptance from Ensworth. Soon determined to attend the other school, I had completely set my mind on going to Ensworth. I was then later accepted by Harpeth Hall as well, and my mother deposited for me to attend the all-girls school. She told me that it was for my best interest and that I would not understand until later. Years later, I appreciate what my parents did for me by sending me to Harpeth Hall for my own personal development. Similar to Enrique, his mother tried to make the best decision for his sake. Through maturity, I have come to understand things that were once foreign to me.
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