Quiz

A. "When Grandma came back to our house she had ossified into something elemental and really scary" (60). This quote just begins to explain how Mary feels about her grandmother. It seems to me that she finds her almost repulsive, even at such a young age. This could be because her grandmother causes more trouble then she needs to, or because she is missing half of her leg, which would make any eight year old a little uneasy.

Marys grandmother seems to be out to get her and Lecia. "She had a habit of sneaking up on Lecia and me and shouting Aha! as if she'd discovered up shooting up heroin with a turkey baster or eviscerating some small animal"(61). From there she would always call in Mary's mother and tell her to whip them for whatever they were doing. Most of the time Mary's mother didnt understand what the big deal was, and would have never whipped them for it under anyother circumstance, but when Grandma was in the house, she felt as though she had to. "After a while, Mother gave in to Grandma's rantings and went through the motions of flailing at our legs with a fly swatter till we ran into our room and slammed the door" (61).

Mary's grandmother sufffered from cancer, that started in her leg (which is why is was cut off above the knee) but soon spread to her brain. Once this happened, it seemed as though their grandmother began coming down even harder on the two girls. "But Grandma just bore down on us harder. If anything, whatever pain she was in or ideas she had about dying seemed to jack up her resolve" (69). Although she had to be in serious pain, their grandmother never took any paing medicine. Instead, she filled up on beer, but never seemed to get drunk which always seemed weird to Mary. It was as though she was too stubborn to take the pills she was asked to, and even more, she was too stubborn to die.

Although some of it may have been because of the pain, the way their grandmother treated them really was not necessary. I felt like she wanted to scare them, and wanted them to know she didnt like them, and did everything she could to prove it. "...I started believing that Grandma watched me through the wall when i slept" (69). Grandparents are important to have throughout life, but especially in childhood, so I think this may cause some problems for the daughters in the long run. Also, it becomes very aparent how having a mother like Grandma, really affeceted Mary's mother. With Grandma living in the house, its almost like Mary's mother's opinions dont even matter. She does whatever her mother tells her to, as soon as she tells her to do it, whether she agrees with it or not. It's as though she is controlled by her, which I think will also really affect Mary and Lecia.

Overall, having Grandma in the house didnt really help things. She seemed to make everything worse. She even went as far as to just about kick out Mary's father. Although it is sad that she was sick and dying, I cant blame Mary for thinking of her as a mean, scary, old woman.

B. Mary and her family had to leave Leechfield because Hurricane Carla was coming. It had turned into a huge storm and was expected to hit them head on. Because Mary's father couldnt leave his job, it was up to the four of them to pack in the car and make it to Aunt Iris's house in Kirbyville. On their way there they had to cross a rather large bridge, and while doing so something inside Mary's mother snapped. It was as though she was pushing the gas pedel flat to the floor the whole way up, which caused Mary to scream, and eventually throw up into her own shirt. Before they had fully cleared the bridge, the car went into a three hundred and sixty degree spin, and eventuall went airborne. It is still not known if this was accidental or dileberate, but there is a good chance Mary's mother went a little crazy, just like so many others on the Orange Bridge. "Mother said, 'Everybody alright!' but in a cheery voice, like a camp counselor after a long hike. She didnt even turn around when she said it. In the mirror her teeth were showing in a scary smile" (92).