“The Painted Girls” and “The Ballet Shoes”; both tales of families, lost in their own worlds and striving for a better life. Through the novel “The Painted Girls” multiple themes were shown that closely resemble a 1936 story called “The Ballet Shoes”. Both show similar themes and characteristics such as the lack of money and the lengths to go for it, the struggles of neglecting parents and the heart warming theme of family, shown through each of the daughters who learn that they can only rely on each other.
In “The Ballet Shoes”, the youngest of the 3 daughters, Posy, had slowly become self absorbed and overly inconsiderate toward her family though the story. She had been taught ballet with her 2 other sisters at the age of 6 by the dance
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Marie would often fight with Antoinette over how her dedication to Emile was greater than to her family. When Emile was arrested for murder, Antoinette had stood by his side and relentlessly insisted that he was innocent. “‘Don’t you call him a murderer.’ She raises her arm in a threat. ‘Murderer!’ And there it is; the thousand pinpricks of a slap on my face.” Here was a turning point in the book, where Antoinette slaps Marie for insisting that Emile is guilty. Antoinette had never hit Marie nor Charlotte before, so at this point in the book, it was very heartbreaking knowing that Antoinette is so blinded by Emile that she would turn against her own family in order to defend him. Marie tried her best to change Antoinette's mind but with no luck until she would discover his guilt on her own accord. When Antoinette does have the realization that Emile was guilty, she knew that she needed to reconcile her relationship with Marie and apologize. She rekindled with her sister as well as bringing balance to their lives once more. The power of their love may have been harsh but it had brought them together and remained as so for the many years to