Social and family constructs greatly shape the kind of person we become and lives we lead. It is apparent that Lia, the main character in Wintergirls, suffers from the collapse of her social and familial world. There is much research into the age-old battle between “nature” and “nurture” and what effects a person’s disposition more. Lia is clearly effected by “nature”: pressure from friends to be thin, social media telling her to be perfect, etc. but she also is effected by “nurture”: parents who pressure her to be academically perfect, dealing with her parent’s divorce, etc. What construct: social/nature or family/nurture had the greatest impact on Lia’s illness? Why do you believe this? What evidence from the text can you use to support your answer?
Good question, Megan. I think it's a complex blend and it seems to feed off of each other or be symbiotic to some extent. The social peer pressure she feels when she "sees" Cassie, or thinks of memories with her, feeds her instinct to lean toward her physical "natural" impulses.
ReplyDeleteI think while both conflicts are present, I feel as though family/nurture had more of an impact. I say that because throughout the text, she rarely refers to her mother by "Mom," it shows her crossing it off and referring to her as Dr. Marrigan instead. Same with her father, although not as often. She clearly does not feel as though they are worth the title of "mom" and "dad." There are times in the text also that she is wanting to "scream" what she is going through to her parents but resorts to just saying "I'm fine." I think the lack of time and attention her parents paid her made her feel almost abandoned in a way and sought out her friendship with Cassie as the most important relationship in her life.
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