The Lamplighter

The depictions of girls haven't necessarily completely changed but some changes do exist. I believe that girls are no longer raised to be believe that they will be house wife's and are taught to only do house work. Such as in the Lamplighter Gerty is very excited to know that Mrs. Sullivan was going to teach her how to do house work. "What could I do?"stated Gerty. "You could sweep the room up every day; you could make the beds, after a fashion, with a little help in turning them; you could set the table, toast the bread, and wash the dishes." (p.108). Now in days little girls from the start are given the opportunity grow up into what they want to be and taught to believe that they have the same opportunities as men. I do believe that girls do struggle to find balance, but the same goes with everybody else. With so many things that go on during the day it is hard to sometimes balance things. Even I still struggle to find balance with school and taking care of my daughter."My! what an odd-faced child!--looks like a witch!" (p.81) In the Lamplighter Gerty struggles to find balance between her old life and way of being to changing her image of an ugly dirty little girl to a well composed little girl as well as learning how to take care of Uncle True. "She took the cat in her arms, smoothed down her dress, gave a look of interest and pride at her shoes and stockings and then composed herself, with a determined face to look patient." (p.105) Here Gerty is trying hard to show that she is changing and hoping that Uncle True will like her even more. I think that if Gerty were to be on the show things wouldn't be so different. Like when Amy asked Anna about how she does to even things out in her life and she mentions that she does yoga, she finds it relaxing, and Gerty also finds things to relax her and get her mind off of Nan Grant and how horrible her life is by escaping to the large wood and coal yard, or by watching the lamplighter who gave her hope there was somebody watching out for her. One thing that Gerty would have mentioned different from Anna was when Amy asked Anna about how girls now in days want to fit in, Anna responded by saying that girls should just accept who they are. I think Gerty would have answered differently just because she is trying to be a different person just to be liked by others and not being herself.