gabby!’s Reviews > Educated > Status Update

Adversity can make others see people as a product of their environment, which often gives the viewer a more positive opinion of the person. Once Tara told her friends about her past life, they were much more interested in her since she had not ever been to school, and she became “a popular dinner guest” (Westover 268). Adversity made her more interesting to others.

This week I was going to bring up for discussion the misinformation the dad gave his kids. Tara is first upset when she finds out, but then remembers “the fear on his face […] and felt certain he really believed [they] were in danger” (Westover 210). Tara is able to forgive him because he didn’t have bad intentions.

I asked why Tara didn’t tell Vanessa about her situation Tara intentionally doesn’t explain to Vanessa why she doesn’t know what some things are, like how she didn’t know how a textbook works. She claims she “thought [they] were just supposed to look at the pictures” and when Vanessa is shocked, she doesn’t tell her she’s never been to school before (Westover 166).