"You think they don't got problem? Everybody got problem. You got me, they got insurance, house payment, Preparation H." She smiled, baring the part between her two upper teeth. "We are the free birds. They want to be us.”
"You stupid girl. You walk away from money to punish mother?"
Although Marlena did not treat Astrid as affectionately as Claire, she still shaped her identity and taught her some valuable lessons. Marlena informed Astrid about the importance of money and how sometimes you have to make sacrifices in order to survive. Although it was hard for Astrid to let go of a dress Claire had given her, she was able to do so as she realized it would benefit more than just herself. This experience with Marlena helped Astrid to think about others more and not to take for granted favorable opportunities. Even though she wasn’t loved in a motherly way by Marlena, she still had a beneficial relationship as she was able to learn to become a better person and shift further away from her mother’s philosophies.
ReplyDeleteAstrid’s interaction with Marlena marked a turning point in her life. Growing up, Astrid followed her mother’s views on independence, but Marlena teaches her to be practical. Marlena demonstrates her own practicality with her emphasis on money and profits. Astrid learns from Marlena that she needs to let go of her past and move on with her life because holding symbolic value to her past was a waste. One of the defining traits her mother had told her to keep was her beauty. Once Astrid gives up her looks, her past self wouldn’t even recognize her. The things Astrid valued changed and that allowed her to move on from her mother’s grip. Marlena’s practicality was an opposite to her mother’s symbolic views and that clash of ideals made Astrid rethink her choices.
ReplyDeleteThese are great points you're making here. I totally agree. Marlena opens Astrid's eyes up to the real world, telling her to be practical. Her mother kind of hid her from the real world with all the lies she told. Astrid never knew the truth. Marlena teaches her that she needs to make money even if it's by selling your junk, because she needs to go to college to get a better life for herself. Well, those items of clothing Claire gave Astrid were of worth to her and she felt like it was betrayal to sell them… it seemed as if she thought it'd be vain if she sold things associated with Claire. But, Marlena knocks some sense into her and tells her that's the only way she'll get by in life… if she gives up her old self and toughens up a bit. She needs to become more independent.
DeleteAlthough Marlena was not a good mother figure to Astrid, she taught her some important lessons for life. She taught her to stand up for herself and get what she wanted no matter what the stakes. Marlena is the reason Astrid went to see her mother again and got all the answers she wanted. Marlena shaped Astrid's personality by making her strong and independent. Marlena was obsessed with the idea of money, but she taught Astrid that you need money to survive and get what she wants, thats why Astrid wanted to testify, to get money for art school and strive to be what she wanted to be. Overall, Marlena was not a good mother figure, but she taught Astrid to care for herself, and make herself happy before others because you truly can't make others happy unless you are happy yourself.
ReplyDeleteI think what drew Astrid to Rena originally, instead of choosing those suitable parents, was the way she held herself. Rena is a confident woman that doesn't seem to care what others think, she works hard to give herself a better life by her own standards. Although her mother offers this the only difference is Astrid’s mother is restrained by insecurity. The force in Ingrid’s life is the love and affection of men, and she receives this love and affection by beauty. Without that love she finds herself in a dark place and is constantly reiterating this message to Astrid. Rena teaches Astrid that who gives a crap about beauty if you can’t offer anything for yourself. Compared to every message that every mother figure in Astrid’s life gave her I think this was the most important.
ReplyDeleteSome would say that Rena dressed like she didn't respect herself. She wore pretty much only tight things, with her breasts out, and wore a ton of loud makeup and jewelry. Allow this isn’t the ordinary dress wear for a mother or someone thats supposed to be raising teenagers, I believe it taught Astrid a lot. It taught her that she's allowed to express herself in any way she wants and she only really has to please herself. That beauty is and will never be defined by her mother. I think Rena showed her that if you box yourself into one definition of beauty or how to carry yourself then what was stopping her from ending up like her mother.
Marlena similar to all the other foster mothers in one way changed Claire. Marlena, unlike Claire, did not show Astrid how to love or care, but taught her other lessons such as sacrifice. When Marlena tried to sell the Marc Jacobs dress that Astrid owned, she taught her how to sacrifice by telling her how much more it could benefit herself. In addition, when Marlena found out about the money Ingrid could provide for Astrid, she taught her another important lesson about money. Astrid's time with Marlena taught her to think about others as well as opportunities that may rise in the future. At the end of her time with Marlena, Astrid learned new morals that changed the morals she learned from her mother.
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