The Pain Tree by Olive Senior
1. Who is your favorite character from the story and what kind of background do they come from? Why? (Use examples from Michelle Cliff's essay, If I Could Write This in Fire, I Would Write This in Fire ) My favorite character is Larissa, from the black working-class background, because she represents the kind of values I really love, such as family values, modesty or discretion. I was really touched and sad for her, when Lorraine explained the day she left to England, and she didn't even wait for the gift of Larissa. Larissa was so dedicated to her family, and to Lorraine, even if most of the time it was a "one way relationship". 2. Why do you think Lorraine’s mother mocks the workers that want independence from England? I think it is because for her, it seems so impossible that they could have the same "free-life" as her. Maybe because she was raised with the idea her skin, and the skin of her family, lighter, would mean they are better than