Beauty secretly lurks at the guests and helps her mother to give the right order for them.
He sent Mum into the dining room to take the breakfast orders. She got in a terrible fluster at first and couldn’t remember which walkers wanted
veggie sausages and which black pudding, and whether they wanted tea
or coffee, but I’d been lurking in the doorway and knew exactly. Wilson, 2016: 252
The quotation above explains that Beauty struggles against discrimination by helping her mother to survive. She wants to be free from her father; therefore she and her
mother should be independent and make themselves survive by their own. Thus, sisterhood’s bonding is very important for women to gain independence because they
will have courage and spirit to fight against the oppressor as they know they are not alone and there is hope for women to live equally.
3. Optimizing the Opportunity to be Educated
Gender discrimination occurs because a patriarchal society thinks that women are not as smart as men and incapable of independent thinking. The society thinks
that women should rely on men for every decisions and choices in their lives. They consider education is not important for women. As a result, women become
powerless because they have less knowledge and understanding about their conditions and environments. In order to successfully fight against gender
discrimination, women need to optimize their opportunity to be educated. Education will help women realize about their problems and other women’s problems who live
under oppressions.
At the first time Beauty lives in Rabbit Cove, she does not go to school because she goes to Rabbit Cove with her mother in a sudden. Therefore, they do not
think about school thing yet. After everything settled and Beauty’s mother gets a job, she realizes that Beauty needs to go to school. Her mother insists her on going to
school even though Beauty is still traumatized by her old school. In her old school, she is being bullied by almost all of her friends. Therefore, Beauty feels afraid if she
should go to school again.
‘I think we’d better get you into a school here, Beauty,’ said Mum, as we had a cup of tea together after serving breakfast. I stared at Mum, appalled.
‘I don’t want to go to school’ I said. ‘I can’t I’ve got to do my share of the guest-house work
– and then I paint with Mike. I’m working, Mum.’
‘Don’t be such a noodle, you know you’ve got to go to school.’
‘Yes, some day, but not now. It’ll be the summer holidays soon anyway. I can start school in September, if I must.’
‘You’ll start now. I want to do everything properly. What if your dad starts suing for custody of you and it comes out in court I didn’t send you
to school. I don’t want to be declared an unfit mother No, you’re going, sweetheart, and that’s final. We’ll ask Mike where the Rabbit Cove
primary school is.’ Wilson, 2016: 271
The quotation above shows that Beauty does not want to go to school in Rabbit Cove. She reasons she should work to help her mother. Nevertheless, her mother insists that
she wants to send her to school. H er mother does not want Beauty’s father sues her
for not sending Beauty to school. She wants to prove she can take care of Beauty by making her to be an intelligent and independent girl. Therefore, it explains that
education can be a way for Beauty to struggle against discrimination because it will make her become an educated girl who is strong and capable to fight against any
oppression.
At first, Beauty rejects her mother’s decision to send her to school. She still remembers about the bullying and it makes her feel afraid to meet new people. Then
her mother tells her to give herself a chance at the new school. “You’ve been so good
and grown up until now. Please, give this school a chance.’ ‘OK, I’ll try, but it won’t work. They won’t like me, I know they won’t.’” Wilson, 2016: 280.
Finally, Beauty agrees with her mother to try this school even though she feels pessimistic would this school be different from the previous one. It shows that Beauty
uses her efforts by optimizing the opportunity to be educated. In fact, in her new school Beauty feels happy because there are no friends bullying her. She realizes that
education is very important as she can be more independent, confident and brave enough to fight against discrimination.
4. Working
