“What was the good of trying to keep your own if when they grew up their days were like your own - changeovers and ugly painted dolls?”
Gertie only wants the best for her children and the entirety of the novel sees her trying to accomplish this feat. In Detroit, she finds that life is far much worse and they have to do what they have to ensure her children turn out fine. In the assertion, she hopes for her children not to have a life that she has. Gertie wishes for them to prosper and lead a better future. Thus she questions herself on the significance of trying to be there for them if they could end up like herself. She sometimes feels like she has failed as a mother even though her actions entail altruism and self-sacrifice.
“…through the window came the growl and mutter and roar of night-time Detroit; worse than this were the sounds of the people trying to sleep outdoors…”
The statement describes the appalling situations that Gertie and her family find in Detroit during the war. The novel described as a masterpiece due to its accurate portrayal of the working-class life, the assertion encompasses the spirit of the narrative. The social problems that manifested in the war period affected the working-class most, rendering them homeless, poor, and jobless. It captures the destitute situation that they encounter in the industrial neighborhood which is worse than their previous dwellings.
