Carolyn Kay Steedman: Landscape for a Good Woman
Word Count: 446
From Landscape for a Good Woman by Carolyn Kay Steedman
“Children she’d grown up with had died in the 1930s: ‘They hadn’t enough to eat’” (721).
“Such reworking of past time is new, infinitely surprising; and against it I must balance what it felt like then, and the implications of the history given me in small doses; that not being hungry and having a warm bed to lie in at night, I had a good childhood, was better than other people; was a lucky little girl” (724).
Carolyn’s family was not rich by any means but they were pretty well off, especially in comparison to the standard of the time. Carolyn grew up directly after World War II when everyone was still recovering and trying to move on. Her mother was a huge influence on her throughout her childhood. She provided in the way that she could but made her believe that she was better than others and that her father was the issue. Looking back Carolyn understood that her father was not to blame for their money issue since there really was no money issue to begin with. Being frugal was simply the way that people survived and lived regardless of how wealthy or poor you were. Carolyn’s mother, even though she could afford better, put her family essentially on a vegetarian diet simply because she didn't want to spend extra money on stuff like that. She says that poverty was a belief which was rooted deep within the culture at large. This affected her even as she wrote saying that when money got tight she would begin to think of ways to save money such as melting down the ends of soap because these things were “domestic economies that we practiced in the 1950s” (720).
In contrast however, Carolyn's mother also owned expensive and in style clothing which is what she spent her money on rather than other food. This both made Carolyn believe that she was better than other people because her mother could afford possessions such as those but also made her believe that her family was still poor because she was so frugal with the way she spent her money on her children. This phenomenon later made her realize that her childhood was not all that good since it lacked the parental love needed and replaced it with material possessions. Her mother believed that these possessions made up for the lack of love in the household. Since her mother had experienced World War II and the devastation she believed that she was treating her children well because she was giving them these basic things better than other people at the time and especially in comparison to the World War II era.
The way that you talk about Carolyn's relationship with her mom is spot on. You touch on some important parts of wealth, and how her mother used it against her. I think that you do a great job talking about the symbol of wealth at the time and how all the problems with her family really stem from this. Carolyn's mother was only using what she knew from her past to raise her child, but that was the problem. I think you made an argument for why she was like this but I think you could have explained a little more.
ReplyDeleteI love how thorough this blog post is and how you bring up her mother being more materialistic. Their money situation was hard for Carolyn to understand at first but she seems to have a better grasp on the situation at hand as she gets older. Being more mature now she is able to see the blessings she was given.
ReplyDeleteI though it was interesting how this author believed that poverty "was a belief which was rooted deep within the culture at large". I feel like thats a large statement to make when if they looked out their window r at their own finances, its not just some surface level issue to be blamed on "cultural confliction". Someone who is materialistic has no room to care for kids because they will always be more concerned with what they want instead of what they have and thats what we see with the authors mother in this narrative. The lack of love she felt in the household was replaced by nice clothes and expensive things.
ReplyDeleteI think that all of these conflicting issues in her life that you mentioned, made her have some internal struggles growing up. Like you mentioned, her mother made her believe that her father was the issue and that material possessions are more important than things that are necessary for survival. I think it made her feel somewhat guilty in a way and feel like she was a burden in her mothers life because of all the things that she could have done if she did not have children. These experiences that she faced with lack of parental love probably was a huge impact on her later on in life and if she decided to have her own kids she most likely does not know what good parenting looks like.
ReplyDeleteI loved this blog and all of your insights, Abby. I think because of Carolyns money issues amongst her family, there was constantly tension and someone to blame. However, like you said, during a time like this after WWII, they were pretty well off. It was interesting to see the different things Carolyns mother wanted (and didnt want) to spend her money on. During a time like this materialistic items were honestly a big dividing factor amongst the different groups of people. I think her family issues while growing up also helped her become the person she became because of the cirsumstances she was under. I did enjoy reading this blog and I loved your insights!
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