I love hearing the different perspectives on Edna, much the same as when we read The Catcher in the Rye. Whiny and entitled? Deep and conflicted? A little of both? I have felt so many different things about this book over the countless times I’ve read it, depending on where I’m at in life, so the teenage take is fascinating.
While the sea motif is incredibly overdone in the novella, it is a great way to reinforce this device and push the students to think past the obvious. It’s also a good practice at tracking shifts and importance, as well.
The array of thematic topics to build on is vast: marriage, love, friendship, motherhood, independence, class, the arts, identity, gender, race… This means there are an abundance of writing prompts, discussions, etc…
The language is pretty dense at times- not in terms of complexity, but detail. I appreciate that it really forces the students to slow down and focus, or else they’re bound to miss things (and not do so well on their quizzes).
On a personal level, while I think Edna has no idea what it means to actually have to be mom, I think she was definitely the OG self-care pusher. Paint! Swim! Sleep in! Socialize! Have a beer! Send the kids to grandma! Do all the fun stuff, whenever you want, because YOU DESERVE IT, GIRL. I appreciate her desire for independence, but her techniques were flawed.
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