Revenge

Revenge is a major theme in the novel as Grandmother Cutler tries to make Dawn pay for the actions of her father and mother. Both Grandmother Cutler and Laura Sue, Dawn's mother, know that Dawn is the daughter of Grandmother Cutler's husband. Grandmother Cutler tries to abuse Laura Sue for her actions, but Laura Sue feigns illness and spends most of her time in bed eliciting pity. It is in this way that she saves herself from Grandmother Cutler's revenge. Even though Laura Sue knows that the affair was her fault and has nothing to do with Dawn, she does not attempt to keep her mother-in-law from abusing Dawn, but instead sits back and allows the abuse to happen.

It is not until the end of the book that Dawn realizes why her grandmother hated her so much. When she learns the reason behind her grandmother's dislike, Dawn...