Small Town Girl: Leslie

She discussed how she does have a clear life goal. She attributed some of her anxiety to a lack of direction in life.

Janie is beginning to realize who she truly is and has been awakened through the scenic vision of the nature around her, presenting her womanhood in front of her eyes.

Against all odds, Ellen never gives up her belief that there is a place for her in the world, a home that will satisfy all her longing for love, acceptance, and order. Her eventual success in finding that

“First of all, it’s being 9 years old and feeling like you’re not finished”. It’s as though, the changes that are to come are going to be better than what’s already been. The main change she hopes is that she will be considered beautiful because unlike Connie in the first story this 9 year old girl don’t believe she’s pretty at all. So she’s hoping that, what’s to come? Is better than what’s been?

In each relationship that Janie has become more mature and her identity begins to change. Along her journey, she encounters glimpses of happiness and in the end, she is truly happy. And she finally gains the love like that between the bee and the blossom.

She was this peppy, happy girl who wanted to visit her boyfriend, Mark Fossie. She would not want to learn how to shoot or wear a necklace with tongues when she first visits. Then, she started changing her appearance, attitude when she began to hang out more with Greenies and learned how to fight and shoot. She lost her innocence and herself because she is not the same girl as she was when she first visited

In the novel, Hope Leslie, Catherine Maria Sedgwick uses personal analysis as well as historical information to create an uncannily realistic tale of romance, racial prejudice and religion. Throughout the book, Sedgwick emphasizes relations between the Native American peoples and the European Americans living in Massachusetts in the 1640’s. She is able to do this specifically with the characters of Magawisca, the Native American slave with the will of a lioness, Everell Fletcher, the handsome much wanted white male protagonist, Hope Leslie, a strong headed young woman who symbolizes modernism in the piece and Esther Downing, Hope Leslie’s literary foil. Through the

Nancy, I believe, perfectly represents teenagers, past and present. Nancy shows that we don’t have the slightest clue who we truly are. That is why our teenage years are so important. These are the years in which we begin to find ourselves, beginning with our signatures (heart or no heart?). There are so many people who expect us to know what we will do with our future when, in actuality, we are only beginning to discover our likes and dislikes, nowhere near deciding what we will be doing for the rest of our lives. So many of us teenagers (and some adults) are trying out different handwritings, or ideas of what we want to do with our lives, before we settle on the one type of calligraphy that we will carry with us forever. Throughout my life, my handwriting has changed drastically, as have my aspirations. As a child, I would write in big loopy letters, which perhaps represented the loopiness of who I wanted to be at the time (a princess). Over the years, as my letters became more refined and smaller, so did my aspirations.

Every creature goes to journey on an seemingly endless rollercoaster as life can be. Dreams that lie beyond the horizon is something people continually try to achieve and Janie is no exception to this as she defines her own strength and self worth. From facing gender roles to endless criticism she has the strength to keep moving forward. As the story's main conflict is concentrated around Janie relationships through she acquires the desire to want more for her own life. Where these hardships she gains experience to live independently and especially learn to stand up for oneself no matter the adversity. Characters like: Nanny, Logan Killicks, Joe Starks, and Vergible “Tea Cake” Woods gave her experiences that help her gain her own ambitions and accomplish the quest of happiness Janie searches for. The bravery exemplified by the author, Zora Neale Hurston throughout the story is perfect to learn from as strength is exemplary to live today.

As a young woman, Janie had no complaints about her role in society and fit in as most young people do. Eventually, Janie made it her purpose to outgrow this mold, defying her societal role and fulfilling her dream of becoming the assertive woman she always wanted to be. To

Janie was the kind of woman who was always striving for better things. While living in a small town, she always dreamed of living in a better place. From a young age, she was bold enough to be sure she wasn’t going to stay with her grandma for a long time. This was because her Nanny was always sure to shrink her horizons, and Janie didn’t appreciate that. She was like that with Janie because when she was growing up, she never had the chance to better herself so she learned to settle for what she had. In fact,

Tells the reader stories & anecdotes of her fellow workers, including her own unstable, insecure life, taking the reader on some emotional ups & downs throughout the story

The Leslie Fay Companies (Leslie Fay) was a designer specializing in women’s stylish dresses. The company was run by Fred Pomerantz and subsequently by his son, John Pomerantz. Both Pomerantz men were known for their lavish lifestyles and overbearing personalities. Fred had hired Paul Polishan right out of college in 1969 to join the accounting staff at Leslie Fay. Polishan would later go on to become the company’s CFO. Polishan, as it seemed, had an even more overbearing personality than either of the Pomerantz men. The personalities and attitudes of these three men would bring about a huge fraud scandal for Leslie Fay, resulting in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in April 1993 (Knapp, 2011).

This excitement and nervousness compels Kathy to pursue all odds to become one of the grown-ups. This would appear to lead her away from individuality, but it ultimately, after finally being pushed over the edge into maturity, allows a more profound realization that she doesn’t need to conform.

glimpse the meaning and fulfillment of her life. “To be fully alive, means to engage in