“Some things just won’t go away, no matter how hard you scrub.”
Josie always feels judged because of her mother’s choice of occupation and social behaviors. Therefore, this judging which might be more from her embarrassment rather than from other people affect her esteem. She wishes to make an identity different and away from the stigma of being her mother’s daughter. Mostly due to the fact that she is anxious that she will fall into the same lifestyle or patterns as her mother. This mindset echoes into how she perceives herself and her mother and consequently how she makes her choices.
“I leapt eagerly into books. The characters’ lives were so much more interesting than the lonely heartbeat of my own.”
The story introduces Josie as a girl who is ashamed of her life due to the judgment her mother’s prostitution and habits comes with. She is afraid that she will lead the same life as her mother the more she understands about herself and the world. However, she is determined to alter her reality and fate for the better and strives to differentiate herself from her own blood. The self-awareness she has regarding the inclination she might have of falling into the same shameful habits motivates her to be different. In consequence, she idolizes the characters in the books she reads which fuels her desire to change.
“Decisions, they shape our destiny.”
The destiny of each individual is attached to the choices they make and not to ‘generational curses’ or inherited vices. In Josie’s world, the fear of falling onto the sharp teeth of fate haunts her and tries her best to subvert it. The vital choice she makes later in the story determines her future by choosing to not accept easy money. Accordingly, emphasizes the idea of our identity is molded by our decisions or choices.
