Family

In “Sol Painting, Inc.” the narrator Merci comes to understand the sacrifices her family has made for her future success. At first, she is irritated at the thought of attending the fancy Seaward Pines school and thinks her parents are needlessly pushing her to be more like her highly academic brother. Furthermore, she does not understand why her father does not become angry after his work is messed up by a group of high school girls. She blames him for his passivity and gives him the silent treatment for hours. Yet, Roli helps Merci look at her father’s action differently and see that the family is not trying to bring Merci down, but create new opportunities for her. Effectively, she learns about the family dynamic that involves parents making many sacrifices in their own lives for the betterment of their children's’ lives.

In “Secret Samantha...