Chapters 19-24 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 19 explains how Anna struggles to learn to speak French and has somehow hit a wall when it comes to her linguistic ability. This holds her back in school and creates conflicts with her mother until one day, everything clicks, and Anna can speak French with ease.

Chapter 20 explains that Anna's family has an austere and simple Christmas, since they are still poor. Plus, the Depression in France is raging. It is the winter of 1935 and everyone is working hard. Mama is learning to run the house with ease though she still has great trouble sewing everything that needs to be sown. After a bit of a disagreement with Mama, Papa goes out and buys Mama a cheap sewing machine that he thinks is in working order. In fact, it is about forty years old and completely broken. Mama...