“Daddy is shoving his way inside, the sound of the wood like a gunshot ricocheting through the room so that I think he’s broken the hinge, but the door stays upright. The cobwebs leave a gray trail and there’s a leaf stuck in his hair. His T-shirt is dark at the pits and the neck and down the middle of his back. His boots hit so hard on the floor that he sounds like he's going through the rotted wood. He’s not much bigger than us. Is this what Medea saw, when she decided to follow Jason, to flee her father with her brother? Did she see through her father’s rich robes to the small-shouldered man beneath?
I think that this mention of Medea is important because it says a lot about what Esch thinks of her father. She is looking at her father, wondering if Medea felt the same way when she decided to leave her father and brother for a man she loved much more, Jason. Esch is curious to know if Medea was able to “see through her father’s rich robes to the small-shouldered man beneath”, which relates back to Esch’s feelings for her father. Even though he is not a king and does not wear fancy robes, she is able to see through him and knows that he is not as tough as he makes himself out to be. This passage about Medea helps the reader to understand how little Esch thinks of her father.
This is a mixing vessel made from terracotta. It has Medea departing on her chariot with the dragons painted on it. The artist is the Plicoro painter and it was created late 5th-early 4th century bc. It is titled the Medea Krater, and is now in the Cleveland museum of art. 
It think that this picture of Rosie the Riveter best describes Esch by the end of the book. The picture is a sign of female empowerment and being confident. By the end of the book, Esch becomes confident and is growing into a strong, independent young woman. She realizes that she does not deserve to keep being rejected and used by Manny, and knows that even though the biological father does not want to be there for her and her baby, she has many father figures surrounding her, so the baby will have many dads. 
I think you chose a really insightful passage from the novel that reveals a relationship Esch as opposed to something solely about herself. Your line "Even though he is not a king and does not wear fancy robes, she is able to see through him and knows that he is not as tough as he makes himself out to be", connects Esch's and Medea's opinions on their fathers and the fake front that they put up. Your analysis also causes a reader to think about how Esch's relationship with her father changes by the end of the novel, and how that contradicts that of Medea's.
ReplyDeleteThe picture you chose to represent Esch is a clear representation of the independence she has achieved and the confidence in herself. Your point about her having many father figures adds to freedom she now has from Manny.