Wise and Patient The Description of Polly Farrell’s Character
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.
Polly hasn’t opened the screen door; she’s talking to Laurel through the mesh, as she would to a peddler.
“I heard that your daughter was sick, so I came to visit her,” Laurel says. “I bought a pie.”
“You should have waited,” Polly says. “She’s not dead yet.” Laurel steps backward, as if she’d been slapped :p.144.
When Laurel Smith comes to visit Amanda, Polly does not give good respond. Polly tries to reject her. She feels suspicious with her visit, and Laurel Smith knows
about that. “You don’t have to invite me inside if you don’t want to,” Laurel Smith
says. “I don’t know why you‘re here,” Polly says.
“Why are you here?” “I just thought most kids liked apple pie,” Laurel says. “I always loved it.”
:p.144
Polly does not want Laurel Smith is getting closer with Amanda because it means that Amanda will spend her time with Laurel, not with her own mother. Still,
when Laurel enters the house, Polly does not give good respond, she does not ask her to sit down.
Laurel Smith is still standing when Amanda comes upstairs; she has not been invited to sit down :p.145.
Amanda likes the flower which Laurel Smith brings and she is interested with Laurel’s hair that is pulled back into French braid. Knowing that Amanda has interest
on her hair, Laurel offers Amanda how to make the braid and Amanda agrees. Polly realizes if she allows Amanda to go with Laurel, she has to share Amanda’s time with
Laurel, and it seems not a good idea for her. Polly does not want it happens and it makes her to reject Laurel’s offer indirectly.
“I could teach you to do your hair like this,” Laurel says. Polly narrows her eyes; she realizes that she has read Amanda’s mind just easily
as Laurel has. “Yeah?” Amanda says.
“Would that be okay?” Laurel asks Polly.