e time period when this story was written there was a big movement in our culture for change. This development was called the women’s rights movement. As Mason states, “Something is happening. Norma Jean is going to night school. She has graduated from her six-week body-building course and now is talking an adult-education course in composition at Paducah Com. College.” With the changing times in society women were gaining more opportunity to excel. Theirs roles were changing from housewife to independent beings. During the 80’s this was a predicament that many families had to deal with. Mason does a great job of presenting problems people can relate to and identify. She sheds light on important moral issues while capturing the reader’s imaginations. Norma Jean is used to show how growth can cause tremendous change for the better. As Norma Jean was growing up her mother was always over bearing and critical towards her. Norma Jean and her husband Leroy had a baby when they were younger, and “Mabel (the Mother) has never really forgiven him for disgracing her by getting Norma Jean pregnant. When the baby died she said that was fate mocking her.” Also Mabel didn’t catch Norma Jean smoking till she was 34. From these situations we can conclude that Norma Jean is afraid to have conflict and has been controlled her whole life. She is afraid to be individual from her mother’s points of view. With all the commotion in Norma Jeans’s life she starts to look for answers of how to change or better her situation. “’She won’t leave me alone-you won’t leave me alone. I feel eighteen again. I can’t face that over again.’ She starts walking away.” This quote comes from the end of the story. Mason is trying to show that it is possible to change your situation even though it seems bleak. No one knows that if Norm...
