Approach of the Study

The social condition of Sheila Levine is not good enough for her to rise her confidence. She actually can join groups of people that have a good self-confidence then she can grow her social life. She can meet many kind of person and she also can meet the right guy for her to get married. Unfortunately, she chooses to close herself and hangs out with group of hopeless person. Here is a statement shows that Sheila is not a confident person. ”I sat with the other dateless girls, some too tall, some too fat, pimples, bad breath, you name it .” Parent, 1972: 7. From the statement, the reader can see that Sheila do not do any effort to make herself better. However, it makes Sheila unable to join groups of popular people because her low self-confidence. It makes her stuck in one place and cannot grow to be better. In New York city, almost all of the girls are looking for husbands including Sheila Levine. At the same time, Sheila feels that she cannot compete with the girls in New York city which have good or bad appearance. She feels not confident with her appearance even though there are so many girls which have the same appearence with her. I couldn’t compete. I couldn’t sit in Loeb Student Center day after day pretending to read The Behavior Problems of the Young Child, eyes glued to the door. ... “Excuse me, is that seat taken?”... moving over gracefully “No, no, it’s not.”... “I see you reading The Behavior Problems of the Young Child.”... crossing legz throwing head back “Yes, yes, I am.”... “Could I persuade you to put it down and come with me for a cup of coffee?”... “Love to” eyelashes batting so hard, they’re becoming unglued... It never happened to me. The only man who ever spoke to me in Loeb Student Center was the guard informing me that they would be closing soon Parent, 1972: 14. Besides her appearance problem, she also feels that she is not attractive enough to compete with other girls in New York city. Most of girls who live in New York city have a high confident. They can attract man easily. They start a conversation with a guy they just meet. It shows that they have an extra self- confident. However, Sheila feels that she is not attractive enough to start a conversation with other guys. She does not know how to start a conversation with man. She does not know what kind of question that will make guys interest to have some conversation with her. She asks useless question which makes them lazy to answer properly. It makes Sheila feel that there is no guy that wants to talk to her because she is ugly. Linda took their coat into bedroom and piled them on the bed with the other. I wish I was under them. There I was alone with six men, count them, six, and feeling rotten and self-conscious. Hows your aunt? I dont know. You see her more than I do. How are things down at the welfare department? Hasnt Linda been telling you whats going on? You mean about the strike? Yeah Yeah, Lindas been telling me all about it. Then whadda you asking me for? Hurry back, Linda, please hurry back, Im sinking. How are thing with you Joshua? I told you already. Fine. Help, please, somebody help me. Parent, 1972: 52-53. The feeling of low self-confidence of Sheila actually makes her not have much chances to show up her ownself to others. She just closes herself to others. She does not give herself a chance to be better. She cannot hang out with kind of friends she wants. She lets it happen to herself because of her low self-confidence. However, it also makes it difficult for Sheila to find the Mr. Right and difficult to get married.

1. A Dreamer Girl

Since Sheila was a little girl, she already knows about marriage. Her mother always tells her that girls should be married and becomes a wife. Little Sheila starts to dream about her wedding ceremony. Here is the statement of her about her wedding ceremony and how her wedding will be held. I do remember that Ruthie and I would have a huge double wedding, under crossed swords at West Point Parent, 1972: 5. She always dreams about marriage. She dreams about her future husband. She dreams about how many kids she have in the future and she even dreams about where she will stay with her husband and her kinds in the future. Then, Sheila’s dreams about marriage has grown. She has already planned what she will be when she gets married. She wants to have her own kids. Have a house is also one of her dreams. “When I was a very little girl, I wanted to be a wife and mommy .” Parent, 1972: 15. Her mother sets up Sheila’s mind that marriage is a must. She tells Sheila to get married early before the situation becomes harder to find the right man and to get married. It makes Sheila’s imagination about marriage wilder. Marriage was having a Jewish count crazy about you. We would have a house in Manhattan and a house in Rome, and we would travel from house to house to house to house with our husbands Parent, 1972: 6. When Sheila joins in the university, her idea of marriage has been developed. She obviously shows her interest in marriage. She has her own opinion of marriage. She has already thought about the criteria of her future husband. She also has already decided what job for her future husband. By the time I arrived at Syracuse University, I had my ideas on marriage really developed. My husband would have to be creative. He could be a lawyer only if he loved the theater; a doctor, if his hobby was painting; a painter, if his hobby was making money in the stock market Parent, 1972: 7. Sheila is always dreaming about marriage. She dreams to be married to a handsome guy who has a good job. She also dreams to have a great house and living there with her husband and her own kinds. At the end, the dreams cannot become true because the reality she is not already getting married to anyone at her age of thirty.

2. An Easy to Give up Girl

Sheila Levine is easily to give up to keep her virginity. It happens when her friend Diane Rifkin asks her to go with her to Colgate. They are picked up by a guy named Steve who is Diane’s date and Sheila is dating Will Fisher that is Steve’s friend. After watcing the game, they come to the cheap apartment where the boys share. Diane and Steve end up in one room and also Sheila and Will Fisher. They do the same thing as their roomate. At first, Sheila refuses to do those bad things but at the end she cannot handle and give up with Will Fisher desire. My hand got tired moving his hand. My mouth got tired talking. I couldn’t keep up the small talk, and he couldn’t keep down his desire to do what his roommate was doing. So, finally, as the sun was beginning to rise, I, Sheila Levine, let Will Fisher touch me you know where and he did you know what Parent, 1972: 10.