Tag Archives: Session 3

Jaquira’s adolescent

Throughout the pages of 142 between 247 we see more and more of Jaquira’s life growing up while she really goes where she pleases between her psychotic mother and her father who seems to not care. Throughout the reading Jaquira skips school, drinks, and fights. This is all due to the fact that Jaquira feels as though the adults in her life simply do not care about her. Seen in page 194 “Until the effect wore off and we were ourselves again—reckless, and unafraid, and pissed off at our parents for not caring that we spent most of our time on the streets or drunk or high, for being deadbeats and scutterheads.” Jaquira wishes for her father’s attention, for him to be proud of her, and wants her mother back to the way she was before her diagnosis. Reading these pages makes me feel sympathy for Jaquira for feeling as though her only chance to be free or escape was through fights and drugs. However while feeling this way I also feel she had many chances to change her ways, this is something Jaquira tells the reader as well. The countless amount of times she told her father she would change but never did. People like her grandmother, Mrs. Gold, or Paula all were there available for Jaquira to reach out to. However seeing things from Jaquira’s point of view she may have ashamed or disgraceful when it comes to talking about her experiences so far. As I read further along Ordinary Girls im hoping to see Jaquira’s path to change.