The Struggle In Marieke Nijkamp's This Is Where It Ends

of the novel that Gabi’s mother holds the power over Gabi since she becomes obsessive over being “good” or “bad,” towards the end of the novel a power shift occurs. Gabi takes control over her destiny and ensures her mother that she will pursue her dreams, thus making her ultimately in control of her life.
Gabi, like Diondra, is not rebellious at all. She is a young girl trying to find her calling in life by pursuing her degree in higher education despite her mother’s disagreement with the idea. Gabi expresses her desires to pursue attending Berkeley, but her mother is dissatisfied with Gabi’s choice for her future due to the financial strain and the possibilities of Gabi becoming pregnant (Quintero p. 187, 279). Gabi is not a rebellious …show more content…
Autumn’s father, Mr. Browne, feels disdain for Autumn. He blames her for the untimely death of his wife and punishes her by physically abusing her (Nijkamp p. 26, 42). He goes as far to not even acknowledging her as his daughter, but still refers to Autumn’s brother, Tyler, as “son” (Nijkamp p. 135). The force of patriarchy is notable throughout the novel. Mr. Browne favors his son over his daughter are not the only hints of patriarchy, but Tyler’s drastic attempt to gain control over Autumn’s life by shooting her classmates and teachers (Nijkamp p. 62). Mr. Browne obviously favors Tyler over Autumn, that does not stop him from attempting to control Autumn’s life. On the surface, it would appear that the power in this relationship lies in Mr. Browne’s hands. He uses scare tactics, such as refusing to pay Autumn’s way through college and physical beatings as ways to hold power over her (Nijkamp p. 5-6). The shift in power then occurs when Autumn applies to Juilliard and then pursues her dream of dancing (Nijkamp p. 104). Finally, Autumn gains control over her own life from her father. Although her brother, Tyler, attempts to steal the control of Autumn’s life by snuffing out her chance of dancing by shooting her in the leg, he fails to wrestle the power away …show more content…
Lucey offers an explanation by stating, “We might suggest that some working-class girls who, as teenagers, gave up on school and had babies are operating unconsciously-becoming a mother helps them to keep out anything that disturbs their relational identity by maintaining things as they are,” (p. 141). Diondra, Gabi, and Autumn may not have intentionally tried to disrupt their relational identity, but they do serve as models for budding feminist and oppressed young women looking for a connection with characters in young adult