Lori is a very intriguing character. She is very complex, with deeper levels revealed with each new chapter of the novel. In the beginning to the middle of the story, Lori starts out as a hard working and intelligent, if not brilliant child. She seems to do no wrong, to neither her parents nor her sometimes-overshadowed sister, Jeannette, and this fact seems to have gotten to her head, as she dawns somewhat of a ‘know-it-all’ attitude towards her siblings. She is so smart, in fact, that her mother often relies on her to check the papers of her students. She completely admires and looks up to her mother, a teacher and unsuccessful artist. With this admiration came an appreciation of many forms of art. She becomes an “obsessive reader” (pg 168), and spends much time improving her painting skills with her mother. Because her parents are gone so often, she develops protective instincts over her younger siblings, which continues throughout the book. In one instance, a boy who has taken a very insistent liking toward Jeannette comes after her with a BB gun. Lori pulls out her father’s real gun, and when her courage to shoot the boy comes into question, she responds with the short but resolute answer of, “Try me” (pg 88).
As the story continues, the Walls family begins to become more chaotic, especially pertaining to the parents. Lori is disillusioned by her mother’s behavior, and her protective instincts become more acute. She becomes much more soft-spoken and down to earth, with language that reveals great sympathy. One quality that she retains throughout the story is devotion. Once she has chosen something, she will devote herself completely to that task, be it schoolwork, a painting, or a good book. In the case later on in the book, Lori sets her sights on New York, and she does everything she can to make that a reality so that both she and her siblings could find a way towards a more stable life. Despite a major setback induced by her father, Lori finally achieved her goal, and “never once looked back” (pg 230), eventually bringing the rest of the family with her to a new stage in their lives.
I thought that it was interesting how you perceived Lori's "know-it-all" attitude. I saw Lori as being more motherly and taking on a great deal of responsibility as the oldest sibling. I felt that she was also like this out of necessity because of the irresponsibility and un-adult like personalities of Rex and Rose Mary. Now that I think about it, however, she did seem to take pride in being the oldest and perhaps wisest, making her more of a "know-it-all." I think that your analyzation of Lori's development was very accurate. I also agree with you about her reuniting the family by making the decision to move to New York and "never look back." Lori was a very important character in the memoir even though she was not the main protagonist.
ReplyDeletesorry i meant analysis not analyzation haha
ReplyDeletethats not a word...