Jeannette Russier Denial Quotes

In her youth, Jeannette struggled with denial to understand the reality of her family life. When she was a young girl and her family didn't have a roof over their heads she only saw the good in the situation. In one instant Jeannette describes a discussion between herself and her sister Lori “I told Lori how lucky we were to be sleeping out under the sky like Indians, ‘We could live like this forever’ I said,” (18). This quote connects to my claim because it demonstrates that when she was young, Jeannette was in denial about the hard times her family faced. This passage also shows that as a young girl Jeannette had not yet reached her prosperous future. Jeannette was not only blind about her family life but also about her family themselfs.
As Jeanette's dad is no longer contributing to the family like he should, Jeannette struggles to convince her siblings he is there for them in a conversation they have ‘“Dad has to start carrying his weight,’ Lori said… ‘He does!’ I said. ‘He brings money from odd jobs.’ ‘He spends more on booze,’ Brian said”’.(78) This quote supports my claim because it shows that Jeannette still has denial about her father even though with her siblings help she will begin to realize the truth about him. The conversation also proves my thesis because with her siblings help Jeannette will clear away her denial, giving her a better path toward success. The one person that Jeannette was in the most denial about was her father, a deadbeat drunk that couldn't hold a job, know matter what he did she always forgave him and would always defend him in his weaker moments. A quote displaying Jeanette's denial of her father's true nature is when she goes over to her neighbor Billy’s house and he told her her dad was just like his, “‘My daddy is nothing like your daddy!’ I shouted. “‘When my daddy passes out, he never pisses himself!” (p. 83). This quote helps prove my claim because it shows that she is aware that her dad is a drunk, but is rejecting the idea that her father is as faulty as Billy’s father. It also helps support my thesis
In her late teens Jeannette and her sister realized if they were going to make any sort of a life for themselves they were going to need to get out of Welch and away from their family, so they started saving money to go to New York. Unfortunately one day jeannette comes home to find their money stolen, “Someone had slashed him apart with a knife and stole all the money. I knew it was dad, but at the same time, I couldn't believe he would swoop this low”(228). This quote supports my claim and my thesis because it shows that whatever hope she had left of her father was gone because he had stolen the money for not only the prosperous future she was planning for herself, but also her sister. After Jeannette had moved to New York and started a life for herself, she rarely saw her parents, but once and awhile she would get a phone call, “I was annoyed by Dad’s sly request for vodka-tossing it out at the end of the conversation as if it were an afterthought, when I figured it was probably the purpose of the call”. (277) This quote supports my claim by showing that in her early adulthood Jeanette has overcome her denial and realizes the truth about her father. It also supports my thesis by showing that Jeannette has moved on and made a life for