Forgiveness

This story is so full of many insights into humanity, adolescence, and love. Most of all, this is a story of forgiveness. While it is true that Marina follows a road that leads her to forgive her father, this story is about Marina forgiving herself as well. These two acts of forgiveness are inextricably linked together.

Marina holds feelings of guilt for having caused her father to act so outrageously. While Marina's diary never specifies exactly what happened at family court to ignite her father's rage, Marina reveals that she said some mean things about him on the stand. And while her father did have a past of taking the belt to her, Marina can't let go of her feelings of love for him and her responsibility for what happened. Marina feels anger- hatred even- for her mother and step-father, and in her diary she suggests that there...