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The Sometimes Daughter


Sherri Wood Emmons, acclaimed author of Prayers and Lies, explores the complex ...
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Do you think Cassie is a sympathetic character?

Created: 02/24/12

Replies: 7

Posted Feb. 24, 2012 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert

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Posts: 0

Do you think Cassie is a sympathetic character?

Do you think Cassie is a sympathetic character?


Posted Mar. 12, 2012 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
joyces

Join Date: 06/16/11

Posts: 410

RE: Do you think Cassie is a sympathetic character?

Cassie is a very caring person at heart I think. She just can't help following her own star all the time. She cares deeply for Judy but just does not have the ability to let go of her own desires for her daughter's sake.


Posted Mar. 13, 2012 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
tillieh

Join Date: 04/28/11

Posts: 71

RE: Do you think Cassie is a sympathetic character?

I have no sympathy for a person who choses to run away from their problems instead of facing them and overcoming them, especially a parent who choses to be selfish and immature. I was and still am, furious at Cassie for being more of a child than her own daughter. Cassie is a person who I feel pretends to be a caring person when it is convenient.

I have a similar situation in my own family with some of my grandchildren's parents (my own children for a while even) being a parent only when it is/was convenient for them or when they were pressured into stepping up to the plate.

Children are our gifts and they should be treasured and nurtured. Their needs should come before our own until the children are adults and can take care of themselves. I respect those people who recognize that they are too selfish and self-centered to take care of children and take measures to not have any. Unfortunately, Cassie did not do so, even when she got involved with Navid.


Posted Mar. 13, 2012 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
terriej

Join Date: 07/28/11

Posts: 422

RE: Do you think Cassie is a sympathetic character?

She is not a sympathetic character, but her situation is. I felt like she was out for herself and when times got tough, she took the easy way out.


Posted Mar. 15, 2012 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
dianec

Join Date: 03/15/12

Posts: 22

RE: Do you think Cassie is a sympathetic character?

My gut reaction to Cassie was not sympathetic. She treated Judy like a pet, someone to play with until more interesting diversion came along. It was hard to watch her reject Judy again and again, choosing drugs, sex, wanderlust and contrived family over her responsibilities to her daughter. It seemed obvious that Cassie was suffering despite the freedom of her lifestyle, but she needed to pull up her big girl pants and take care of her issues. That kind of awareness of the benefits of therapy was less common during the time period of Judy's childhood, however. The sense of women's liberation from traditional roles probably encouraged Cassie to believe that she could live her own life and still maintain a tight relationship with Judy.


Posted Mar. 15, 2012 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
sarahd

Join Date: 10/16/10

Posts: 84

RE: Do you think Cassie is a sympathetic character?

I don't agree with how she chooses to live her life, but I do think she's sympathetic. In my opinion, Emmons does a good job of creating a nuanced character in Cassie, one that allows for different interpretations. In some ways, she's a villian because of what does to her husbands and children, but in others, she's a victim because she's reacting to the traumas of her own life. She has been told since the beginning that she isn't good enough and various experiences have underscored what her mother always told her, so it's not surprising that she would think that her families were better off without her. I can see why she did what she did, but I also think she should have had the maturity to make different choices. it appears that she figures this out by the end, or we can hope that she does.


Posted Mar. 19, 2012 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
tillieh

Join Date: 04/28/11

Posts: 71

RE: Do you think Cassie is a sympathetic character?

I agree with dianec to a point, and disagree with sarahd. Cassie chose her own lifestyle. Instead of putting on her "big girl pants" and dealing with life, she chose to run away through drugs, sex, etc. I was constantly told that I wasn't good enough for anything growing up. I was told I was ugly, and was constantly put down when my grades were less than an A. However, I put on my "big girl pants" at an early age and strove to prove everyone wrong.

Oh yeah, I made some big mistakes in doing that. I got married to someone because he paid attention to me and made me feel good about myself, only to fall into a very abusive relationship. I left him, but I did not run into a corner and hide, nor did I turn to drugs, sex, alcohol, or anything of that nature, although it would have been easy to do so. I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and got on with my life.

I still haven't achieved all my goals, but I don't run away from my problems either. I strive every day to make a better life for myself and to prove all the naysayers wrong! I am strong and can overcome just about anything life throws at me.

To run away from things is being a weak person and that's one of the reasons our society is in such a mess. Too many people are running away from things instead of facing them and overcoming them. Running away does not solve anything, it just creates more problems in the end because your original problems will come back to bite you and bring with them the stuff you ran away with, just mounting more on top of the original.


Posted Apr. 11, 2012 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
elizabethh

Join Date: 06/25/11

Posts: 23

RE: Do you think Cassie is a sympathetic character?

I didn't find Cassie to be a particularly sympathetic person. Yes, she had some bad things happen to her in her life, but I think at some point a person needs to grow up and get beyond the things that have happened. I felt that Cassie was always running; running away from the responsibilty of being an adult, a parent, and a partner.


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