when her father had an awful accident. When Margaret‘s father tries to cut the grass, he accidentally cut his hand. Knowing the situation, Margaret hoped her
father will be alright. She even asks God to take a good care of him. She explained that even her father maybe not religious and does not have thought
about God, he is a very kind and nice person. Margaret makes promise that she will do everything what God wants in condition to make her father alright.
b. Understanding the Existence of God
Margaret even shares her experience visiting a church and temple, in addition to seek the existence of God itself.
Are you there God? Its me, Margaret. Im going to temple today —with
Grandma. Its a holiday. I guess you know that. Well, my father thinks its a mistake and my mother thinks the whole idea is crazy, but Im going
anyway. Im sure this will help me decide what to be. Ive never been inside a temple or a church. Ill look for you God Blume, 1970: 56.
Margaret tells God that she never visits church and temple before. Now,
she will try to visit both of them just to make sure about the existence of God itself. She hopes that it will help her in the way she decides what she wants to be.
Margaret asks God to make it easy when she comes to make a decision.
Her mother also gives influence in the way Margaret thought about God. Since Margaret comes from a blended family which is her father is Jewish and her
mother is Christian, her mother never teaches Margaret about a certain religion.
She gives Margaret freedom to choose any of religion that she believes when she is ready to make a decision. Her mother only tells Margaret one positive think
about God that God is a nice idea. He belongs to everybody Blume, 1970: 14. It indicates that Margaret‘s mother tries to say that as long as you believe in God in
yourself that God is exist within yourself, you do not really need to be in a certain religion because you already know about the basic idea of God.
Margaret goes to church with her friend, Janie Loomis. After going to the church, Margaret feels disappointed because it is not like what she expects. By
going to church she hopes she can find something that is different from what she gets in the temple.
Are you there God? Its me, Margaret. I just came home from church. I loved the choir
— the songs were so beautiful. Still, I didnt really feel you God. Im more confused than ever. Im trying hard to understand but I wish
youd help me a little. If only you could give me a hint God. Which religion should I be? Sometimes I wish Id been born one way or the other
Blume, 1970: 94.
Quotation above shows that Margaret does not feel satisfied with what she gets during the ceremony. Margaret feels that it was just like in temple. However,
this ceremony is better than Jewish service since they use English in all parts of the services. After Margaret follows the ceremony she still feel nothing, just like
what she feels when she joins Jewish ceremony. Margaret goes to the Catholic Church for all the confession. She goes to
the church so that she can talk to God and confess all what she has done to Laura. Ive been looking for you God. I looked in temple. I looked in church. And
today, I looked for you when wanted to confess. But you werent there. I didnt feel you at all. Not the way I do when I talk to you at night. Why
God? Why do I only feel you when Im alone? Blume, 1970: 120
From the quotation above, it can be seen that Margaret realizes that she is looking for God. Unfortunately, she does not feel it. Margaret feels disappointed
because she feels that all she has done in looking God is useless. She cannot feel the existence of God when she is going to the temple, church and the confession.
Those three religions cannot make Margaret feel God as what she feels when she talks to God alone. After her religious experiment, still Margaret does not belong
to any religion. Even though she has not come to any conclusion about what religion she wants to be, she gets a new concept in seeing her religious problem.
c. Understanding Religion
