Girl, Interrupted: A Patchwork of a Life

Susanna enters her new room at Claymoore to meet her roommate Georgina. Georgina is seating on her bed surround by books. She has a short haircut and a sweet, childlike demeanor. After Valeria introduces Georgina and Susanna she leaves the two girls alone. Susanna and Georgina start conversing about Susanna’s cigarette box that Susanna believes is the type of cigarettes smoked by the French resistance. Georgina also speaks about the book she is reading, The Patchwork Girl of Oz. I find that Georgina reading the child’s book The Patchwork Girl of Oz as a very interesting detail of this scene. These two women are in the psychiatric program at Claymoore presumably needing some patching up in their lives.

But, could it be that all of the women at Claymoore are just patchwork? Composed of different events that have created them into the pieces of art that each of the women are. They are held together by thread and some patches are coming a little lose. I think that not only are the women of Claymoore like the patchwork girl, but the rest of us too. We are all composed of the different events in our lives and some of us are just better at staying patched together than others.

Close Reading—Mary Cassatt, “Young Mother Sewing” 1900

"Young Mother Sewing" Mary Cassatt

Step One: Read for comprehension

A mother is sewing in a chair by a window with a little girl leaning against her. The little girl is making eye contact with the audience. There is a vase of orange-ish flowers on a side table next to the mother.

Step Two: Reread and notice things

The little girl gives the expression and body position that would make a great poster child for a number of causes such as child abuse, and child hungry. The mother seems to be completely enthralled with her work; she does not seem to even notice the weight of the child on her lap. The mother seems to be sewing a very light fabric almost like a wedding veil fabric. "Young Mother Sewing"seems to be an impressionist painting.

Step Three: Explain your observations

The child’s sad/bored look is achieved through her eyes and body language. The mother’s complete attention to the fabric is portrayed through her hand being titled down towards it, her hands working with the fabric, and her body tilted towards the fabric.

Step Four: Formulate some conclusions and develop your ideas

This artwork portrays two lessons to me. The first is the child may not be interested in what the mother/family wants her to participate in. The mother is very intently, calmly, and pleasantly working with a fabric mending or sewing something. Meanwhile, the child couldn't care less about what her mother was doing. She looks bored, sad, and almost intrigued by the audience. The second lesson is the mother needs to remember to be attentive to the child. The mother is very engaged in her mending and she does not even seem to notice the child. The child looks sad and bored possibly because of the lack of attention the mother is showing her.