Having that kind of question, Polly does not get angry, otherwise she responds it calmly and does not take it as a big problem.
“If you mean I’m photographing Laurel Smith, you’re right,” Polly says, more coolly than she means to. “It’s pretty darned occult,” she adds with a laugh
:p.19.
4.1.5 Wise and Patient
Children will pass stages in their life. There is a stage in which children make a distance with the parents and enjoy their own world and it happens to Amanda. Polly
realizes that now Amanda keeps a distance with her. She does not want to listen what Polly has said but she prefers to listen what Ivan has said. When Polly has to say
something she has to say it twice then Amanda will hear it :Murphy, 1972:170. Suddenly, Amanda is interested in how Ivan feels and what he thinks.
When he talks, Amanda listens. When Polly talks, Amanda puts on her Walkman. And, Polly knows, it’s only the beginning :p.9.
As she’s backing down the driveway, Polly gets a glimpse of Amanda’s thoughtful, unreadable face in the rearview mirror. Amanda is always distant
before a meet; her nervousness takes the form of an unearthly calm so that Polly has to say everything to her twice before Amanda hears :pp.13-14.
Every mother does not like to have this kind of situation. Every mother wants to have a close relationship with her children. Realizing the situation between Amanda and
her, Polly does not want to force herself to get closer with Amanda. She does not want the situation will getting worse by forcing herself although she really wants to.
Maybe Polly can persuade Amanda to give up one day’s practice and go to the beach with her tomorrow, just the two of them :pp.23-24.
Having two children who are growing up sometimes spend a lot of energy and emotion. Polly has to manage her feeling to be patient in handling Amanda and Charlie.
The children fight often and Polly has to control them and she has trained herself to be patient with the children squeezing.
“You are really disgusting, “Amanda tells Charlie. “Mom” she yells. “Chicken,” Charlie says to his sister.
“Moron,” Amanda counters.
Their mother, Polly Farrell, who is out in the garden, can hear the children arguing. It’s been hard, but she has trained herself to tune out their
squabbles; otherwise she’d spend most of her time refereeing :p.4.
Polly is being patient with the children’s behavior. She is a typical mother that does not like to hit the children when they do something wrong and she avoids yelling
to the children because she does not want the children will get hurt because of Polly’s words. Charlie loves read very much and he could not stop to read no matter where he
goes and does. That habit makes Polly is going crazy because it makes Charlie does not put attention to his surrounding and Polly tries to be patient about it.
Charlie continues to read as he walks up the bleachers; it drives Polly crazy that he doesn’t watch where he’s going, but she bites her tongue. She’s
learned to save her reprimands, to dole them out carefully, in the hopes that they might actually count for something :p.18.
4.2 The Personality Changes
In order to answer the second question, the writer would like to discuss about the personality changes of Polly Farrell. Hurlock in her book said that personality is able to
changes because of some causes and one of it is caused by the changes of significant people. Significant people refer to the people who live around us, such as parents,
children, brother or sister. In this study Polly’s personality changes are caused by the changes of the significant people, which is her daughter’s illness.
4.2.1 Possessige
Being a mother who the daughter is living with AIDS makes Polly becomes possessive. Polly expects Amanda to stay at home for the whole day without doing the
routine activity. She is afraid something will happen to Amanda and it makes Amanda’s condition is getting worse. This can be seen from the direct comment :Murphy
1972:170. Buying Amanda new school clothes feels like signing her death warrant;
what Polly would like to do is keep her daughter home and lock all the doors :p.92.
[…] She would not spend one minute in the darkroom Ivan made out the laundry room in the basement if that meant a minute away from Amanda. Everything
that excludes Amanda is wasted time :pp.92-93.
Polly wants to spend every minute with Amanda because she does not want to loose any single memory about Amanda.
Polly no longer gives permission for Amanda to attend the birthday party. It makes Amanda gets angry. Finally Ivan allows Amanda to attend the party with one
requirement that is not sleepover after the birthday party. This decision does not make Amanda feels happy on the contrary it makes her angrier.
Tomorrow night there is a birthday party, a sleepover, and everybody is going, but Amanda is not allowed. She has already gone to the mall with Jessie and
Mrs. Eagan and bought a birthday present, six colorful plastic headbands and six matching bangle bracelets.
“You hate me,” Amanda says to her parents. She has a terrible look on her face. She pushes the plate of cake away from her,
hard. The plate skitters across the table and crashes on the floor. “We love you,” Polly says. She holds herself back from crouching down and
cleaning up the cake. She holds herself back all the time. “Oh, yeah,” Amanda says. “Sure. That’s what you say. You have to say that.”
“This is not up for discussion,” Ivan says. “You can go to the party but you can’t sleep over.”
“Just embarrass me in front of everybody,” Amanda cries. “My life is ruined anyway.” :p.140
Polly realizes that Amanda will die soon, that is why Polly does not want to waste time :p.113, and Polly does not want a minute away from her. She wants
Amanda to spend time with her not with someone else. That is why when Laurel Smith, her ex-client, comes to visit Amanda, Polly does not feel comfortable.
