Dan Black-Character Watcher, TBT, Pd. 3
In the last section of this book, I will be looking at Taylor. During the first part we see that she becomes hesitant when it comes to Turtle. At the stop on the road when she was with Esperanza and Estevan she does not tell the man that she is Turtle’s mother right away. Estavan has to say that the baby is his. What do you think of this? When Turtle even starts to call Esperenza ‘Ma’ this really affects Taylor. She feels hurt. Did you expect this to happen? And does her reaction surprise you?
As they go back to the bar, Taylor becomes frustrated. She finds out that the bar has no idea where her relatives might be. She feels that she has come all this way for nothing. Her moods seem to go up and down, and they all seem to be revloved around Turtle. She also felt that she has misjudged the Cherrokee Nation. Things get even weirder for Taylor. As they drive to the lake, she feels like a minority, the odd one out. No one looks like her, and Estevan and Esperanza feel much more comfortable with everyone appearing like them.
Another feeling Taylor experiences in this chapter is that or worrying. Turtle looks out the window and shouts, “Mama!” when no women is in sight. She arrives at the lake, and they stay at a cottage for the night. She tells Estevan she will miss him, but he does not return the thought. She then wishes that she can keep Estevan and the baby, but only really hopes to keep the girl. What do you think is going through Taylor’s head? Is she more worried about losing Turtle, or losing her friends. Do you think that she’s afraid of losing her life that she has come accustom to living? This chapter ends by her if Estevan and Esperana will do her a favor.
Next, Taylor has her two friends pose as Turtle’s biological parents. This is a huge risk, and shows how much she cares for Turtle. Would you go this far for someone you cared about? They trust that they really are the parents, sign the documents and get emotional. Esperanza seems happy at the end, and Taylor is now the mother of Turtle, officially, but unofficially. It seemed like Taylor cared enough about the child to let Esperanza have her if she truly wanted her, and it shows how good of a friend she is.
Finally, the last chapter of the book starts with Taylor taking her friends to the church for shelter. She feels that she has lost someone she loved for the very first time. By calling her mother, it shows that she also cares a lot about her, and her mother comforts her. Turtle and her have their second good conversation and Taylor explains that she is her mother and that her name is now April Turtle Greer (Brandons sister). The story ends very well, and Turtle and Taylor go home to see LouAnn. This happens after she calls her to see if she would get back together with Angel, and she informs her that she has met a new man but that Taylor is her family and she won’t move in with her. Taylor has come in a complete circle, starting in KY, trying to get away and start a new life. Then going to AZ, and trying to find Turtle’s parents. The story turned out the way Taylor would have wanted it, having someone to care about her in LouAnn, and raising someone she loved, in Turtle.
What were your thoughts on Taylor? Do you think that the way she handled things were the best options in some cases? For example, adopting Turtle in the way she did. If she couldn’t find the relatives, would lying be that big of a deal? Finally, what do you think of the ending? Do Taylor’s actions with Turtle show that she is a good mother? If yes, why?
-Dan
Category: Per 3 TBT CW 4 comments »
March 8th, 2009 at 11:59 am
Wow! I did not know that Brandon has a sister! (Ha Ha!) Okay, now that I have gotten that out of my system, I am going to be serious.
To answer your first question, I think Taylor just handled the whole “Turtle Situation” in the way she thought was best. She was not looking to be criticized one how her mind works, just trying to preserve the way her life (and Turtle’s) were like and attempting to not have anything change their balance negatively.
To relate towards your second question, no lying may not have been the best idea, seeing that if they were caught, not only would Turtle be taken, but Taylor could have been sent to jail or gotten in trouble in another (likely equally as bad) way.
I said this in my blog: The end was very vegetable, yet satisfying. And about the question you posed next, all of Taylor’s actions may not have been the smartest but they showed how devoted that Taylor truly was, and the lengths that she would have gone to not let Turtle go away.
There’s my reply! In case you have not seen Brandon’s blog yet, we are reading Dracula.
-Jenni Kantor
March 8th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Well, Jenni that wasn’t funny. I think that Taylor did was technically fine to do when she adopted Turtle. An Native American who was caring for Turtle, gave her to Taylor, so her caretaker wanted Taylor to have the baby. She was very brave to risk doing all of that for a child that wasn’t hers biologically or officially.
I think that Taylor did what she thought she had to when she lied about Turtle’s parents. It probably wouldn’t have worked today, because they would probably want proof that Esperanza and Estevan were the parents.
I think that Taylor’s actions showed that she is a good mother. She obviously cared about Turtle a lot to risk losing her and getting herself in trouble. I wouldn’t have done it. Taylor’s actions were stupid at times, but they were always with her best interests at heart.
-Brandon
March 8th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
It WAS funny Brandon! You have a little sister now so be nice.
I noticed that you agreed to my earlier statement that Taylor’s actions prove that she is a good mother. I also agree with the fact that Esperanza and Estevan probably would not have been able to get away with faking that they are Turtle’s parents. The security is too tight around the U.S.A. nowadays. I wanted to add to your statement. Our world is getting too “noble-minded”. That does not really make sense, seeing as we are leaving the medieval ages, but it actually does (sorry, contradicting myself!). Our minds think that if we guard something harshly, we will eventually get what we want. That is also the way of being “noble-minded”. Just thought I should say that!
-Jenni Kantor
March 9th, 2009 at 1:59 am
Taylor’s reaction does not surprise me, I would have felt the same way if I was in her position she felt hurt because she knew that Turtle had really come to love Esperenza and she did call her ‘ma’-something, just plain ‘ma’ and yes I expected this to happen sooner or later.
I think that Taylor went through a lot to get Turtle, and she was supposed to be with her from the start. Meaning that Taylor and Turtle were meant to be mother and daughter from the moment Turtle was handed to Taylor. Taylor really cared for Turtle and loved her like her own; it’s only fair that she gets to have Turtle like her real daughter.
I think that Taylor is afraid of losing Turtle more than her friends, but still she does not wish to lose them and wants them to say with her forever. She doesn’t want to give up the life that she has become accustomed to living but realizes that she does not have control over that.
I’m pretty sure I would go that far if I was Taylor, she did the right thing by all means, and she will make a great parent for Turtle. She loves Turtle enough to give her up to Esperenza, yes this shows what a good friend she is but it also goes to show that Taylor could have let things be the way they wanted to but didn’t. She took a step forward in order to get Turtle, and it did involve risk for her friends but she was willing to go that far to get Turtle, showing that she really cares for her equally enough as for her friends or maybe even more. I don’t think that lying about Turtle made that big of a difference to Taylor, sure she felt bad but it was worth getting Turtle. I think that Taylor really understands Turtle, proving that she can be a good mother and she wants Turtle to accept that Taylor is her only mother from then on and everyone else is her friend. I never expected the ending to be like this, so it was very shocking but all the more enjoying, I thought that Taylor might’ve actually found Turtle’s relatives and adopted her that way. Well the surprises were just what made the book really interesting!
-Sorry, too tired 2 comment about Brandon’s sister!
-Kianat Zamir