Part 1: Mother - Arlette's Stories Summary

In this section, we get another portrait of Mother before her entrance to the "San." Mother is a flamboyant and creative woman. Once, she decorated ordinary-looking straw bags and turned them into "stories with dollhouse trinkets." Another time, Mother took some fruits that were about to spoil and used them to make a Christmas mantle-piece.

The summer that Alice is 12 years old, Uncle Billy hosts a party in June. Uncle Billy mentions how Mother might return and want Alice back, and he asks what Alice thinks about it. Alice seems to have ambivalent feelings about returning to Mother. On one hand, she is tired of living as a guest, and she misses Mother. On other hand, Mother's life is uncertain, disorderly, and sometimes embarrassing to Alice.

Part 1: Mother - Arlette's Stories Analysis

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