“‘Just remember,’ Mom said after examining the blisters, ‘what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger’” (Walls 179)
Lori has had a lesser part in the novel than Jeannette and Brian. Jeanette is the author so it is expected that the story is centered around her, and she was closer to Brian than she was to Lori, so there is more about Brian too. This does not mean that Lori is not having a hard life. The entire Walls family has a hard life, although Maureen seems to have figured out a way to make her life less taxing. Lori is very quiet and does not say much up to this point in the novel. The fact that she has blisters all over her legs from attempting to stay warm by lighting a fire is terrible. What’s even worse is the mother's response. “What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger”. When your daughter has burns all over her legs so bad that they blister, I do not think “What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger” is the appropriate response. Maybe the correct response would be to bring your child to the hospital.
Lori does not scavenge through the garbage to our knowledge, so I am not sure how she is managing to have enough food. The only thing that may be happening is that since Lori is the mother’s favorite is that the mom is sneaking food to Lori and Lori is not telling her siblings. Since the mother is now a “sugar addict” and buys candy to enjoy for herself, it would not surprise me if Lori was to receive some of that candy. Lori does not complain about her mother but she is not a fan of her father, and although she does not complain about her mother, she does not agree with their lifestyle. She has not agreed with their way of life since the beginning of the novel. She has no reason to agree with their way of life either, it is not healthy, and it is actually a good thing that she recognizes that.
Lori has had a lesser part in the novel than Jeannette and Brian. Jeanette is the author so it is expected that the story is centered around her, and she was closer to Brian than she was to Lori, so there is more about Brian too. This does not mean that Lori is not having a hard life. The entire Walls family has a hard life, although Maureen seems to have figured out a way to make her life less taxing. Lori is very quiet and does not say much up to this point in the novel. The fact that she has blisters all over her legs from attempting to stay warm by lighting a fire is terrible. What’s even worse is the mother's response. “What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger”. When your daughter has burns all over her legs so bad that they blister, I do not think “What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger” is the appropriate response. Maybe the correct response would be to bring your child to the hospital.
Lori does not scavenge through the garbage to our knowledge, so I am not sure how she is managing to have enough food. The only thing that may be happening is that since Lori is the mother’s favorite is that the mom is sneaking food to Lori and Lori is not telling her siblings. Since the mother is now a “sugar addict” and buys candy to enjoy for herself, it would not surprise me if Lori was to receive some of that candy. Lori does not complain about her mother but she is not a fan of her father, and although she does not complain about her mother, she does not agree with their lifestyle. She has not agreed with their way of life since the beginning of the novel. She has no reason to agree with their way of life either, it is not healthy, and it is actually a good thing that she recognizes that.