"'Madame's probably not a bad person, even though she's creepy. So when she saw you dancing like that, holding your baby, she thought it was really tragic, how you couldn't have babies. That's why she started crying.'" pg. 73
Even though the narrator does not seem hurt by it, the fact that she can not have children evokes a sort of pity and sympathy in the reader. It is a feeling similar to that which is displayed by Madame.
Before even Kathy was fully aware that she was infertile, she had grasped the idea in her mind and, according to Tommy's theory, developed a meaning for the Judy Bridgewater song that inspired a hope for children in the future. When Madame saw her longing face as she danced around pretending to hold her baby, she was moved to tears.
Even the reader feels for Kathy. Knowing that even as a child she wanted nothing more than to hold her baby in her arms, the reader is devastated that she will never in her life get this satisfaction. The reader tries to understand what it would feel like knowing this about oneself at such a young age.
Though even Kathy doesn't completely understand why her situation is so tragic, Madame's reaction shows that an outsider knows what kind of struggle people must go through when they can't have their dreams. Kathy has learned to live with it, but like Madame, readers know the pain she keeps from surfacing.
No comments:
Post a Comment