"Her Last Death" (pages 40-88)

Summary:

The Chapter “Famous Names” was all about how the mother, Daphne been always been weaved in with a famous person. Daphne's dad was famous, he was a Hollywood film score composer and also a harmonica player. Daphne's dad resembles her to an extent that they love to date famous people. Daphne's dad was married to a different wife. Suzy's grandmother, Patsy, remarried a guy who she now refers to, the love of her life. In this chapter the author begins to talk more about the mother and her taste in men and how all the guys she has dated have been filthy rich, for example, she dated a New York Giants quarterback. Suzy's mother has back problems and there would be times where the mother had a problem and she would be very weak to even get out of bed and there was one incident where she was injecting herself and screamed and Suzy had to finish her injection to save her own mother's life. This left her a little traumatized. When Suzy and Penelope's mother, Daphne took them out to eat brunch, the mother was very excited because when they left from eating they went to visit Daphne's dad. When Daphne came out of the house she was in tears because the father hated her for leaving Suzy's and Penelope's dad. She got home and her back pain was acting up. Daphne was sent to the hospital and is in recovery for a few weeks, meanwhile her daughters visit her as much as they can. Suzy finished her school year and her and her family headed to New Mexico. There Daphne found a cowboy boyfriend named Randall, Daphne warned Suzy not to steal her man. Daphne, Suzy's mom, gave cocaine to Suzy. Towards the end of the reading Suzy's mom became over protective with her boyfriend and told Suzy to stop being phony and punched her in the gut.

Quote:

"We wanted that sound, her voice like a bird caught in the apartment, bright, wings beating" (Sonnengberg 47).

Reaction:

My reaction to this quote was intense, I could see what Suzy saw. This quote is a simile, it as well shows symbolism between a caged bird and Suzy's mother. Suzy's mother was in pain from all the back pain she was having. Having back problems kept her caught in the apartment. The "bright, wings beating" symbolized the youth of Daphne and how she is young and beautiful, and her 'wings' (heart) is beating. Suzy is was healthy but her voice sounded caught in the apartment. Daphne had something internal that she wanted to talk about but just couldn't.