The third stage of the Cycle of Abuse is known as the honeymoon stage, where the abuser asks for forgiveness and the victim usually forgives them. In this case, Bone, who is the victim does not forgive Glen, but her mother forgives him every time. Allison clearly addresses this stage in the cycle, showing how Anney always defends Glen, and tries to convince everyone, especially Bone that Glen really does love her. After Glen first abuses Bone, Mama says, “He loves you," Mama was always saying, and she meant it, but it seemed like Daddy Glen 's hands were always reaching for me, trembling on the surface of my skin, as if something pulled him to me and pushed him away at the same time. I would look up at him, carefully, watchfully, and see his
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Allison spends most of the novel depicting the Cycle of Abuse and Bone’s struggles dealing with the trauma in her life. Bone has to learn to depend on herself since no one else is truly ever there for her. Bone’s experience seems all too familiar to me. When I was in elementary school, I had a friend who was being abused by her parents. I found out because I saw a bruise on her leg while we were playing jump rope and I asked her, “What is that!” She was quiet for too long and I knew that something was up. It took her a few weeks to open up and tell me what was going on in her life. When I read Bastard Out of Carolina, I was reminded of my friend and heard the many struggles of an abuse victim through Bone’s story. My friend lived in fear that if her parents found out that she told someone about the abuse, that they would make her move away and she would lose the only good thing in her life; school. School was her escape, where she could truly be herself without being scared about when she was going to be hit next. At the time I did not understand the severity of the situation, but years later I can now say she is in a better place. Being abused as a child messes with one’s brain and it can often take years for the person to fully recover, while other never
Allison spends most of the novel depicting the Cycle of Abuse and Bone’s struggles dealing with the trauma in her life. Bone has to learn to depend on herself since no one else is truly ever there for her. Bone’s experience seems all too familiar to me. When I was in elementary school, I had a friend who was being abused by her parents. I found out because I saw a bruise on her leg while we were playing jump rope and I asked her, “What is that!” She was quiet for too long and I knew that something was up. It took her a few weeks to open up and tell me what was going on in her life. When I read Bastard Out of Carolina, I was reminded of my friend and heard the many struggles of an abuse victim through Bone’s story. My friend lived in fear that if her parents found out that she told someone about the abuse, that they would make her move away and she would lose the only good thing in her life; school. School was her escape, where she could truly be herself without being scared about when she was going to be hit next. At the time I did not understand the severity of the situation, but years later I can now say she is in a better place. Being abused as a child messes with one’s brain and it can often take years for the person to fully recover, while other never