“It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.”-unknown. This quote is looked at in every aspect of the novel, Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff. In this motivational book, the main character LaVaughn is trying to find a job so she can go to college. Jolly a 19-year-old with 2 kids and no one else to help is desperate for someone. Through the book, Jolly and LaVaughn go through many ups and downs in order to grow and learn in many ways. In Make Lemonade, Virginia Euwer Wolff suggests that sometimes people have to sacrifice their own well-being to help someone who's worse off than them in order for people to grow and learn from that experience.
First, I believe that Jolly learns and grows from LaVaughn. There are many examples …show more content…
Throughout the book, there are many examples that support. One of them being, LaVaughn’s feelings about making the best about everything she has can be seen as the theme of the story when she realizes it: “And I get the point of it this time. / And I want to put my arms all the way around Jolly / in congratulation / and I’, happy she’s so angry / and I’ proud of her she made it clearer than my Mom ever did / with all the preaching and huffing / and bootstraps.” (Wolff 173). The story that Jolly tells LaVaughn teaches her that she has to make the best out of everything, which LaVaughn didn’t understand. Similarly, LaVaughn learns another thing when she is thinking about the decision on whether she should continue to babysit for Jolly and she considers, “You should help the ones that need you. / and You should cherish your priorities like they say.” (Wolff 42) Which proves that babysitting for Jolly, LaVaughn can’t quit because she sees that Jolly needs help and that this is a priority that could change her for the good. In the same way earlier on, LaVaughn is intimidated by the hard work that Jolly has laid out for her: “I look at my eyes in the mirror, I put one finger up to wipe off / just a little bit of yuck off the glass / to see me better / and I’m afraid.” (Wolff 24). LaVaughn isn’t quite sure that babysitting for Jolly will pay her back in the long run. But she continues because she believes that she …show more content…
There are many examples that prove this. Like when LaVaughn notices that in the end, Jeremy is different. She sees that he is more of a “cheerful child”. If LaVaughn did not come and help Jolly he probably would not have been so cheerful in the end (Wolff 200). He grew by LaVaughn helping his family from not having any support to having a good life, which affected the way he thought and acted throughout the book. Earlier on in the book LaVaughn explains how Jeremy’s shoes are too small with knotted laces, she compares this to him wanting nice things in life and would wish anything in the world for the lemon plant to grow. (Wolff 76) I believe that this shows that Jeremy grows by LaVaughn. When LaVaughn explains how Jeremy shoes are too small and are knotted it shows how he couldn’t grow and it was temporary just like a knot you can always get it out. So when she buys him new shoes it shows how he grows. But LaVaughn does not realize when she wishes that she could make the lemon plant grow she actually is by doing these actions that Jolly never said for her to do but by doing them with kindness. Towards the end of the book, LaVaughn is very determined to teach Jeremy his numbers. She thinks that she didn’t teach him and that she didn’t do anything but she actually does: “Me, I’m going to the phone / and Jeremy’s already there / and I see a close-up movie, / he has the receiver up in his face/ and he has his two