Zia Hansport: A Short Story

Katie Nolan, Francie’s mother, is the main reason that Francie is able to survive her arduous childhood and succeed in life. Food, heat and protection are always available to the Nolan children even if it means that Katie has to work multiple jobs or even sacrifice some of her own needs. Katie gives all she can to provide for her children and Francie truly values her mother’s hard work. Francie appreciates her mother’s thougtful acts, but still, Francie develops

Sarah’s mom suffered from effects related to diabetes and passed away and her father passed away from cardiac dysfunction. Also, Sarah and her husband begin to have problems with her marriage. In her early 40’s, I decided that Sarah and her husband were in an unhealthy relationship and needed to file for divorce and live separate lives. She begins to focus more on herself and being with her children and close friends after the divorce. Ten years later, Sarah finds a new romance and is again married. At this point in adulthood, Sarah’s children are all grown up at this point in adulthood. Hannah graduated from school, gotten married, and has a child named Lucy. Sarah’s other child Will, has gone to college and is attending a top-ranked program for engineering. Sarah’s health must be watched closely during this stage in adulthood because previous stressors in her life caused significant weight changes earlier on in adulthood. As Sarah enters late adulthood, she comes to terms with her identity and is always finding new ways to engage in different

However, with her alcoholic dad who rarely kept a job and her mother who suffered mood swings, they had to find food from her school garbage or eat expired food they had previously when they had the slightest bit of money. In addition, when bills and mortgage piled up, they would pack their bags and look for a new home to live in, if they could even call it a stable home, since they would be on the move so often. Jeanette needed a dad who wouldn’t disappear for days at a time, and a mom that was emotionally stable, but because she didn’t have that, she grew up in an environment where she would get teased or harassed for it. Jeanette suffered so much, that even at one point, she tried convincing her mother to leave her father because of the trouble he had caused the family already. A child should be able to depend on their parents for food and to be there for them when they need it, and when that part of a child’s security is taken away, it leaves them lost and on their own, free and confused about what to do next.

As a result of these roles, the daughter’s and mother’s perspectives differ greatly, thus adding tension between the characters. Since the family moves a lot, the teenage daughter has her own concerns. Such as, making friends, and trying not to be the “new kid” in school all the time. On the other hand, the single mother, has other concerns. These include trying her best to support her daughter, and going to Costa Rica to complete her research so she can graduate; and this is all “for the better,” for her and her daughter. In an intense argument about moving to Costa Rica, the mother states, “...this a wonderful opportunity for you,” the daughter responds, “Opportunity? For me? Or for you?” This depicts the rising tension between the mother and daughter. It is obvious that in this scenario, the daughter felt like she was powerless, and that her other always gets to decide everything. This causes the daughter to become contrary and withdrawn. At one point in the story, the narrator goes into her room, and ignores her mother who is trying to talk to her from the other side of the door. In the text, her mother states, ‘She paused for a moment then continued. ”Would you please talk to me?”’ This emphasizes the conflict between the two, since the tension at this point reached it’s peak. Since the daughter isn’t replying to anything her mother says, this really implies the emotional stress both the mother and daughter went through. In general, it’s hard to constantly switching schools and trying to make new friends, but in this case, it becomes evident that the narrator is at the end of her line. She can’t take it anymore, all the moving, and “fitting in.” This establishes a strong sense of emotional struggle from the narrator’s perspective. By doing so, the author makes it blatantly obvious that the

Both girls obtain their own jobs to make their own money, but their fathers respond negatively towards their independence. When Jeanette works, her father “[slashes their piggybank] apart with a knife and [steals] all the money” (250). When Miranda works, her father is unappreciative and doesn’t understand why she needs a job. In addition, Jeanette's father tells many stories where he is always portrayed as the hero. However, time after time, he isn’t there for his children, and yet he still asks, “Have I ever let you down?” (248). Sadly, Jeanette never has the heart to tell her father that he has indeed let her down, several times. Her father makes many empty promises, like the glass castle for example. Her father told her he would build her a big, beautiful castle made of glass, but Jeannette’s hard work on the foundation ended up becoming a trash pile. Jeanette’s father also came home drunk many nights, where he would “[break] windows and [smash] dishes and furniture...then he’d look around at the mess and at [the] kids standing there.”

Firstly, Every hardship and obstacles she endured throughout her childhood helped Jeannette to become a successful adult.Jeannette’s parent were very unpredictable, her mother was self absorbed in her hobbies, and her father was an interminable alcoholic. Even though her parent neglected and gave less attention to Jeannette,

Lori had learned how adults should be acting, and she took matters into her own hands and become the adult in the situation, a sign that she is becoming more independent. “Before Mom left, she gave me two hundred dollars” (209). At the age thirteen Jeannette’s mother is already leaving her in charge of their finances and of the family. She trusts that Jeannette has become self-sufficient and trusts that she will do the right thing and make correct choices. Jeannette and Lori have to take up responsibility and put into action the knowledge of being self-sufficient whenever their mother leaves them in

Jeannette and her siblings had to help her mother get through the day because life was so stressful for them all. “At times I felt like I was failing Maureen, like I wasn’t keeping my promise that I’d protect her―the promise I’d made to her when I held her on the way home from the hospital after she’d been born. I couldn’t get her what she needed most―hot baths, a warm bed, a steaming bowl of Cream of Wheat before school in the morning―but I tried to do little things” (Walls 206). This is showing how as times get more tough, and the family is treated worse by society, the family members are unable to take care of each other the way they would want to. This shows how social injustice gets in

Jeannette and her dad started to grow apart. He was always leaving and not really there for Jeannette and his family. He would leave for days and wasn’t really working. Jeannette started to learn that his dad’s actions weren’t really smart. She started to see his lack of responsibility and what his actions are doing and what they lead to. She knew that her father had a drinking problem and would always go to the bar. Jeannette realizes that Rex keeps letting her down because he still continued to drink and gets drunk. Jeannette was at a breaking point and she asked her mom to leave her father. But her father still has his moments when they would still bond together when she is older .Every birthday he would give her a star and she would love it. But at the end of the day, Jeannette loved her

They just always seemed to be pulling her down when she started thriving. It wasn’t her family in general that pulls her down, but her parents. They weren’t very good parents to her. As they get older, the kids just want out. They want out of Welch. They want away from their parents. Lori was wanting to leave but Jeannette wasn’t quite sure about leaving until there was an argument with her mom. Dad had beaten Jeannette for, in other words, saying mom didn’t act like a mother and that pushed her to decide she would never be beaten again, and, “like Lori, I was going to get out of Welch” (221). Jeannette couldn't take it anymore. Lori and Jeannette met two filmmakers from New York City. They talked about New York like it was a dream land. Lori and Jeannette loved the idea of New York. So they made a plan, “Lori would leave by herself for New York in June… and I’d (Jeannette) follow her as soon as I could” (223). They wanted to go and so they did. First Lori went, and then after a while Jeannette went too. They found the city full of opportunities. On Jeannette’s second day in New York she “landed a job at a hamburger joint on Fourteenth Street” (247). The city was practically opening its arms to her. Soon Brian came to New York as well. Brian got to New York and just like Jeannette, “the day after he got to New York, he found a job” (249). He got a job at an ice cream parlor in Brooklyn. Jeannette, Lori, and Brian were

As the story progresses, Riley and her family move from Minnesota to San Francisco, where Riley experiences culture shock. She and her family find their home to be more than a bit worn and dismal. To make matters worse, their furniture has become lost in the cross-country move, and Riley’s father is experiencing stress and anxiety in his job at a startup firm. Riley is uncomfortable at her new school and in her new social environment as a whole. Riley’s mother urges her to keep smiling, stay happy, and be there for her father. At first the emotions are able work together, keeping Riley in harmony. However, Sadness begins to cloud Riley’s memories and feelings and override her balanced personality. She tells Joy, “Something’s wrong with me. I think I’m having a breakdown.” Joy attempts to take Sadness out of

Mrs. Tiffany Maxwell has a semi-large family. Her mother is African American and her father is Asian. The two have six children together, three boys and three girls. All in which she was once extremely close to. Of all her family, only three individuals live in the Maxwell household. Tiffany and her daughter live there full time. Tiffany’s daughter is five years old and her name is Mariah. She is not her husband’s biological daughter. Her husband, Ronald Maxwell, lives in the home part-time. Since the two have separated he stays at the house when he wants, because he is still paying the bills.

Shanainae is at her best friend Kevin's moms house. Kevin has been her best friend since kindergarten. Ever since the first day of school when they met they have been inseparable. She loves coming here because she feels like it's an escape from the reality of living with her Mom. Kevin lives here with his mom Christina, and his older brother Shawn, Kevin's dad is constantly away for work. Shanainae feels like she can connect with Kevin's mom because she can relate to what Shanainae is going through, since she is going through the same thing which is being addicted to drugs. Shanainae's mom and Christina grew up together too, they used to be the best of friends until Shanainae and Christina's closeness added tension to their relationship. Shanainae's mom doesn't know why their relationship is so strong yet she is jealous of the bond Shanainae and Christina share with each other.

It was hard growing up in Krutyn Poland. Especially for young Wioleta. She lived with her single Mother and elder sister. Her father had left a few years earlier, planning to move them to America. He had gone in advance in order to establish a good home for them. However not much has been heard from him since then, and as years pass the less likely that plan seems like it will work out.

“Malia!”, I yelled for my daughter from the kitchen. I heard her heavy footsteps moving sluggishly around the corner. “Hug your mother and sister and tell them goodbye. Don’t forget to give Talia a hug too. Breakfast is in the oven and I left some money for pizza or whatever you want to eat. Don’t forget about Bo. He’s a big guy so feed him everyday now, don’t forget. No parties after 11pm and NO boys here unless your cousin is here. Do not let me catch-.” “Okay dad! Okay, okay, okay! You tell me the same things everytime. I get it by now, I promise I do.” Malia screams back at me. “Okay...making sure is all…” I said defeated. Realizing your baby girl isn’t a little girl anymore is the worst thing in