Family

Christina’s family relationships are integral to her life experience, and one way in which the narrative explores this is through the formative effects that her parents and grandmother have on her when she is young. Christina’s grandmother, whom Christina calls “Mamey,” is portrayed as a largely positive and encouraging influence in Christina’s girlhood. When Christina bemoans her infirmity, Mamey says, “We all have our burdens to bear. You know what yours is, now. That’s good. You’ll never be surprised by it” (22), thereby allowing Christina to come to terms with her illness. Christina’s parents, although loving and well-intentioned, are the distinct cause of several unfortunate events in Christina’s life. They prevent her from becoming a schoolteacher, and they decide not to sell the house and farm, which would have earned them an exorbitant sum of money. However, Christina’s parents...