Robin Talukder Mr. Chalmers ENG4U0 June 11th 2015 Journal Entry #2: Overcoming Agony and Accepting Happiness While I read the second half of February by Lisa Moore, I used my reading skills by recording my thoughts, feelings and predictions down. I also checked Moore’s strategic use of literary devices, especially with her intensity of personification. The second half of this novel focused on the long- term effects of Cal’s death and unraveled underlying themes such as motherhood, destruction of a family, and overcoming isolation. To start with, I was most overwhelmed with thechaotic behaviour of Helen’s children during their teenage years and I began to deeply sympathize with Helen. Admittedly, I developed an immense level of respect for Helen. I was beyond proud to see how selfless Helen had become during motherhood. One jaw-dropping scene was when she was a drunken 15 year old Cathy mumbled to her mother that she was pregnant. I assumed that Helen would not have handled this pregnancy well when her initial reaction was to slap Cathy across the face. However, Helen continued to surprise me when she did not force and decision upon Cathy. Although at first I was confused when Helen slapped Cathy, I came to the conclusion that it was because …show more content…
However, Helen waiting at the bar for her mysterious man she had been talking to online was the most heart-breaking moment I have ever read in literature. The moment she got stood up was when I felt my heart shatter into pieces. I realized that Helen could not handle her loneliness after I was exposed to her fragile vulnerability. This scene took an emotional toll on Helen at first because of her self-esteem being destroyed. On the other hand, I saw the beginning of Helen’s character development where built up the confidence to ask Barry for dinner. I began to see Helen slowly reach the end of her dark