Angel
Lily’s father tells her, “maybe the angel was you.” Lily recalls, “I started explaining how I’d gotten us to the cottonwood tree in time, figuring out how to switch places when our arms got tired and keeping Buster and Helen awake through the long night by quizzing them.” Lily’s actions are equivalent to that of an archetypal angel for she acts intelligently in a manner which saves her and her siblings from drowning in the floods. Although her mother credits herself and a guardian angel, Lily’s’ role is significant in contributing to a happy resolution whereby none of them perishes due to the floods.
“Crowning Glory”
Lily recalls, “MOM DID HER BEST to keep us kids genteel. While I was teaching Buster and Helen, she brushed my hair one hundred strokes, careful to pull backward away from my scalp, putting marrow and lanolin into it to increase its luster. “A Lady’s hair is her crowning glory,” she said.” The emblematic “crowning glory” underscores the materiality of a woman’s hair for it significantly complements her beauty. Lily’s mother dedicates her time to tending to the hair to ensure that her daughter will be meticulous and refined. Lily’s mother covertly suggests that beauty defines and polishes a woman significantly.
