“'Pick out your favorite star'” (40 Walls)
Jeanette says she never believed in Santa Claus, that her parents never let her. I understand why her parents would not let her believe in something that was not real in the first place, this is one of the rare times in the novel so far where I agree with their ideas. If she did believe in Santa, Jeanette and her siblings would feel left out, like they were unworthy of Santa’s love. Although they did not believe in Santa, they did celebrate Christmas. Celebrating Christmas I feel was very good for the children, even though they did not get physical objects they could hold and play with, their parents did make an effort to make them feel special, which I think was nice. Also by the father saying, “pick out your favorite star” Jeanette feels like she can have whatever she wants, which is a liberating, new feeling that she has not experienced before due to the family’s poverty. Because of the family’s poverty they focus more on family time rather than the gifts on Christmas, or in their case, the week after Christmas, since that is when the trees are put on the side of the road.
By giving them stars (even though Jeanette picked Venus) her father wanted to make the children feel like they were getting something no one else had. He made them feels as though they owned that star (or planet in Jeanette's case). In doing so the children did not feel left out on Christmas, because they had gotten a present like everyone else, but their present was better because no one else had it. By receiving these presents the children felt a sense of normalcy that I think they needed very much. Although their entire life was completely abnormal, having some sense of normalcy probably felt good, especially to Lori. Lori seems to have a better grip on what is normal. She is bitter towards her family and the constant relocation. Receiving the star probably helped Lori alleviate some of the resentment she felt for her parents because it showed that they were trying to allow the children to feel normal.
Jeanette says she never believed in Santa Claus, that her parents never let her. I understand why her parents would not let her believe in something that was not real in the first place, this is one of the rare times in the novel so far where I agree with their ideas. If she did believe in Santa, Jeanette and her siblings would feel left out, like they were unworthy of Santa’s love. Although they did not believe in Santa, they did celebrate Christmas. Celebrating Christmas I feel was very good for the children, even though they did not get physical objects they could hold and play with, their parents did make an effort to make them feel special, which I think was nice. Also by the father saying, “pick out your favorite star” Jeanette feels like she can have whatever she wants, which is a liberating, new feeling that she has not experienced before due to the family’s poverty. Because of the family’s poverty they focus more on family time rather than the gifts on Christmas, or in their case, the week after Christmas, since that is when the trees are put on the side of the road.
By giving them stars (even though Jeanette picked Venus) her father wanted to make the children feel like they were getting something no one else had. He made them feels as though they owned that star (or planet in Jeanette's case). In doing so the children did not feel left out on Christmas, because they had gotten a present like everyone else, but their present was better because no one else had it. By receiving these presents the children felt a sense of normalcy that I think they needed very much. Although their entire life was completely abnormal, having some sense of normalcy probably felt good, especially to Lori. Lori seems to have a better grip on what is normal. She is bitter towards her family and the constant relocation. Receiving the star probably helped Lori alleviate some of the resentment she felt for her parents because it showed that they were trying to allow the children to feel normal.