Jeannette's Success Story Analysis

Jeannette’s job at the jewelry store allows her to have more independence. Since her mother went to renew her teaching certificate, Lori went to a summer camp, and her father being barely home, it is up to Jeannette to take care of Brian and Maureen. Working at the jewelry store allows Jeannette to earn forty dollars a week. Some of it went to her savings for New York and the rest went to providing food for her siblings. Jeannette says she “liked the work. People buying jewelry were always happy” (Walls 215). The job allows her to be away from her parents for a short period which she enjoys. In addition, she is learning to be independent and managing her own financial responsibilities.
The interest Jeannette has in journalism gives her an opportunity to be more independent. This allows her to think for herself without her parents reasoning to her. People were not always avoiding her so much since she begins working on the newspaper for school. She explains, “I’d never known what was going on in the world, except for the skewed version of events we got from Mom and Dad” (Walls 204-205). Jeannette is beginning to realize the true reality rather than what she hears from her parents due to working for The Maroon Wave. She would work on her journal articles every day independently even though the articles only came out once …show more content…
They did not want to burden their lives any more than they already have. In addition, they think they are grown adults who do not need their children watching after them. Anytime Jeannette offered something to her parents, they would say “‘Don’t you worry a lick about us…We’ve always been able to fend for ourselves’” (Walls 255). Jeannette would always offer to help them out but they would refuse to accept her offer. Her parents continue living in the streets because they feel that is the way their life is. They think of being homeless as an exciting