California Woman News
Being a California Woman
The statement that I’m California woman clear through into my backbone was made by Helena as a way of making a point that Magdalena was not as Californian as she thought to be. After interacting with the sergeant and promising him that they would convince their father to vote for Tom Shannon in his quest to become sheriff, the two made their way home which is where the discussion about being a true California woman started. Magdalena felt guilty for disobeying her father and engaging in conduct that he would find disrespectful. Writers who offer English assignment help at Edudorm essay writing service notes that she felt bad that she was out during that time knowing full well that her father was against the idea of a girl to be alone in the streets no matter what time of the day it was. She felt guilty of the interaction that they had with the superintendent to the extent that she believed that she had disgraced her father. Because of this reasons, she felt that the right thing to do was to confess to her father of all the things that had transpired so as to clear her conscience.
Helena pointed out that her guilt and desire to own up to her actions was as a result of the influence from Magdalena’s New England identity. According to Helena, being a true California woman meant being able to hide anything without being pushed by personal guilt to own up. It meant putting up an act for as long as it took so as to be viewed as a good person in the eyes of the community, and mostly the elders (Hicks 318). In her defense, Magdalena pointed out that she is also half southerner and that made her as much a California woman as Helena. Experts who offer English dissertation help at Edudorm essay writing service indicates that she argued that her New England and Southerner sides were beautifully mixed, making her as much a California woman as any woman in the state. She further argued that the decision to open up to her father was not as a result of being any lesser of a California woman but because she had done a lot of bad things without telling her father. Although her flaws in the past did not matter, she felt that owning up to her father is something she had to do if she was ever to respect herself. She also felt that since her father did not tell lies, it was only fair that she not lie to him (Hicks 318).
Despite knowing that Magdalena’s father was keeping some things from her, Helena decided to keep it to herself as she did not see it wise to tell her. She instead decided to pose a question asking Magdalena if her conscience would be hurt if everything had gone as planned and there was no need to explain to her father (Hicks 319). Helena made the comment as a way of saying that she was a true California woman and this made it easy for her to keep a secret without being weighed down by her conscience. Authors who offer English homework help at Edudorm essay writing service points that since Magdalena was influenced by her New England background, Helena believed that it was the reason she felt the desire to own up to her father. In saying that she (Helena) was Californian, and that it was clear through into her backbone, she was saying indirectly that Magdalena was not a true California woman otherwise she would have found it easy to keep the secret from her father (Hicks 319).
As is evident from the various characters described in Hicks book, the image of the California woman is one where women are forced to endure hardships but still do all that they can to make a meaningful life. The women experience a lot of challenges but they still find a way to get through and be positive about the kind of life they live. Foote paints an image of a California woman as being loyal to her husband, caring and the person responsible for holding the family together. John is a pump man who is excessively devoted to his work and leaves little time to spend with his family. Because of spending too much time at work, he spends little time with his wife at home. As a result, the wife becomes sad as she wants children but the husband is not available to play his role. He spends all his time at the mine where he is the pump man and often goes home late (Hicks 289).
Despite all this, the wife, like most Californian women, remains loyal to her husband and perform her household duties. Even though he rarely wears them, she makes sure that her husband’s shirts are clean and neatly folded (Hicks 289). Even when people start talking ill about her husband’s obsession with work, her attitude towards him does not change. She stays with him and takes care of his needs. When he gets into an accident and is bedridden, she takes care of him, talking him down when he tries to get up to go to work She stays by his side throughout the time he is injured, taking care of him till his death (Hicks 291).
The same image is portrayed by Eaton in how she portrays the woman who has to spend a lot of time without her son. The wife had planned to go visit her husband and introduce him to his son for the first time. Tutors who offer English coursework help at Edudorm essay writing service acknowledges that at the harbor, the father is excited to meet his son for the first time and cannot wait to take him home. He is however stopped by the law enforcement officers because the child does not the valid papers allowing him to enter the country. They require the couple to leave the child and take him the next day after the government’s approval. Even though the wife does not agree with the officers, she has to give up her son because her husband asks her to and she does not want to disobey him (Hicks 390).
A California woman is also shown as being the glue that holds the family unit together. Before coming to visit the husband, the wife had taken care of the child on her own. When the boy is taken by the law enforcement officers, she finds it hard to sleep. She misses her son and cannot sleep (Hicks 391). Early the next morning, she wakes her husband up very early in the morning rushing him to pick up their son. Mentors who offer essay help online at Edudorm essay writing service recognizes that the husband is however not as stressed by the ordeal and says it is too early and decides to wait a little longer. The wife on the other hand is devastated and enjoys no peace the time her son is away. When the one day turns into a month, the mother looses interest in all the things she used to enjoy. She is not interested in hanging out with her friends or dressing up. She only wants her son back and does not rest until she does (Hicks 397).
Atherton emphasizes on this image by how she portrays Helena and Magdalena. Magdalena is portrayed as a faithful believer who turns to prayer when it seems as if nothing is going as she plans in her life. She admires what is going outside her home and would wish to attend but cannot do so (Hicks 315). Being a woman, her father cannot possibly allow her to go out and enjoy the fires like most boys are doing. However, Helena comes to her room and gives her a way to sneak out without her parents knowing. Instructors who do my essay online at Edudorm essay writing service argues that she suggests that the two dress up as boys and go out to have fun the way boys do. Even though they are controlled by rules and restrictions, the two women are determined to have fun and enjoy themselves. This shows that, like most California woman, the restrictions set by men do little to control them. The women are determined to live their lives but still take precautions not to rebel too much (Hicks 315).
The image painted of the California woman display their main qualities and attributes. They possess values such as loyalty, compassion, caring, obedient and loving. They have positive attitudes and often result to their faith when forced to endure some form of hardship. No matter what encounter they face, they stick to their values and do all they can to make any situation they find themselves in better. In doing so, they not only make their lives better but also the lives of the people around them.
Work cited
Hicks, Jack. Native American Beginnings to 1945. Berkeley [u.a.: Univ. of California Press, 2000. Print.
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