The Leap

The mother in The Leap, is a very careful, precise woman even in her old age. From the story, she seems to be trying to forget her past. I think she is trying to forget her past because of the danger it posed to herself and her family. She lost her first husband because of their job as trapeze artists, while she was pregnant with her first child. If she is in pain she doesn't show it. I think she is a pretty stereotypical elderly woman, caring for her child and any grandchildren. The way the writer wrote this, it doesn't delve too deeply into the mother's thoughts and feelings which makes me believe that she keeps her own counsel. After reading this story, I think that the mother slightly blames herself for the death of her first husband and child. Although she went through much of her life illiterate, she fell in love with reading and writing when her second husband taught her in the hospital. She was never without a book after that, so she must have been very smart. Altogether, I think the mother will likely be her happiest after she has died.