Change

Through his main character Lynette's attempts to disassociate from her former version of self, the author explores the individual's capacity to change. At the start of the novel, Lynette is distraught when she discovers her mother has no intention of helping her buy the house despite their years of planning and saving. When she confronts Doreen about how hurt she feels, Doreen brings up Lynette's past as evidence of her bad character. In Chapter 4, she tells her daughter: "the way you used to be is still in you...You say you've changed, but I don't think you have. Because people don't change" (24). Doreen's words are not only harsh and cold, but they limit Lynette's capacity to believe in her own transformation. Despite her years of effort to be someone other than the angry and depressed person she once was, Doreen will not allow her to be...