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Show 71b accord. Individual growth and family dedication were not mutually exclusive for them. While they had always had problems, they had grappled with them and usually conquered them (though not always to everyone's s a t i s f a c t i o n . ) They could divide duties and pool resources. When one mother went to work to make ends meet, another mother was there to tend the children. Women at home were encouraged to develop t a l e n t s commensurate with those of t h e i r working s i s t e r - w i v e s . It was a situation which inspired growth by imposing subtle, but significant expectations on every member. As the Mormon hymn said, "The world has no use for a drone." The commitment to many - __- --~ had a strengthening influence. It is not as easy'to leave several s i s t e r s and a husband -as i t is to leave a husband. Aunt L a V o n shad as much - perhaps more - difficulty detaching from her s i s t e r - w i v e s than from my father, and had never r e a l ly succeeded in divorcing her feelings from them. Also, the individual i s considerably more challenged to devlop a unique and i n d e l i b l e i d e n t i t y when surrounded by comparisons - i t becomes a matter of survival. I thought of these things, of how the women in my f a t h e r 's family r e l i e d on each other for companionship as much - no, ">ore than they did on my father- I thought of my loneliness, *y i n a b i l i t y to t a l k with Brian or my friends about such thoughts. Outsiders d i d n ' t understand; they had nothing to compare my experience t o . They could not understand why I f e l t so chained because I had to h i r e a babysitter whenever I wanted time for my w r i t i n g or a p a r t - t i m e job. I grew weary of washing clothes and preparing meals and |
