I have recently started reading the book "Make Lemonade" by Virginia Euwer Wolff. Although I haven't got far in the book, I am still able to visualize a few conflicts going on in the story. One problem I noticed was that LaVaughn the protagonist in the story comes from a single mother who can't afford for LaVaughn to go to college. Another thing I have noticed is that Jolly a seventeen year old single mother takes care of two kids when she can't handle her own self. The two kids are Jilly and Jeremy who come from two different absent fathers that Jolly has been with so that's another problem. The last conflict I have seen so far is that Jolly had almost been raped by her boss and she has recently lost her job for stabbing him with a pencil. I know, disgusting. There are also a few differences between LaVaughn and I that I seem to find a bit interesting.
LaVaughn portrays the picture of being a girl who has internal strength. She is a strong young girl who loves Jilly and Jeremy. She cleans up the repulsive mess around the house, even the filthy roaches. I honestly admire that about LaVaughn, she doesn't give up so easily even if the place looks like garbage, isn't in a good building and from a single mother who is only seventeen. She also tries to keep up with school and homework/projects.. The difference between me and LauVaughn is that I wouldn't have been able to do what she has done for Jilly and Jeremy. Though she has been doing her homework and projects she isn't maintaining a good status on tests. Her grades are slowly decreasing from the lack of studying, that is because she has been so busy on taking care of the kids. I know that with my school work and the future ahead of me that I plan of living doesn't involve babysitting any kids like LaVaughn.
I have a mother and father, along with an older brother when Lavaughn has only a mother. She has no one to argue with in the house for going on the computer or watching TV when I do. I know that if I were an only child I would have been pretty darn upset because I was all alone. Lavaughn has made it through and she doesn't give much thought on having a sibling. I keep pondering to myself that if I were in LaVaugns shoes, how would I have taken care of myself? How would I keep up my grades while taking care of two kids? My mind remains blank.
"Can I go to college when I am big?" Lavaughn asked her mother.
"Nobody in this building"-"ever went to college in my family." says the mother.
I can't really relate to this idea because my parents want me to go to college and they have been to college before, when Lavaughn's mother hasn't, so this is actually a major difference between me and Lavaughn.. The thing that really gets to me is that how shocked the mother was when LaVaughn had spoke of college. Just the word "college" probably frightens the mother because she doesn't have the money for her daughter to go to college. That is the only reason why LaVaughn took the babysitting job, to earn a little cash to save for college fees. I think that whatever she is doing to get her dream of going to college is a great idea. She is trying her absolute best and I just really admire that about her!
These are the conflicts I have noticed so far in the story along with a few differences between LaVaughn and I.
