How does Mimi change and grow over the course of the novel? What lessons does she learn?
Mimi changes from a rather sheltered, judgmental young woman to an independent, loyal and confident woman. she has to pay a steep price for her lessons, but I think her life will have a happy ending and she has certainly provided her children with an amazing role model.
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Mimi definitely becomes more independent and financially steps up to take responsibility for her family. That was much more difficult in the time set of the story. She became stronger as the story went on. I admired her.
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Mimi grows and changes in many ways as the story proceeds. First, her determination to work and provide for the family even though her husband was against it and she became very independent. Second, her attitude toward the women seeking the abortions changed to reflect a more mature and empathetic attitude. She starting veering away from the illegal nature of it and saw how it was benefiting the women that came to the clinic. And third, her grit in staying with the clinic when the legal difficulties started reflects her growing loyalty to the cause and the new friends she had made.
I was so proud of her for refusing the plea deal. And Catherine, as you said, I think she was a fabulous role model to her children.
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Mimi grew from a quiet mother and housewife to a strong woman who understood and had empathy for the problems of other women. She became stronger and more empathetic throughout the novel.
Mimi grows from a woman with no backbone, who has been riddled with guilt about her sister for many years, & accepted the limited & limiting role of wife & mother assigned to her by society, family, & her husband to a woman who knows how to stand on her own. She found her power, her strength, her resilience, & learned that — as my mother preached to me my whole life – she did not need to be dependent upon a man for her livelihood, identity, or fulfillment. She found forgiveness in the letters her parents hid from her, as well as a sense of justice, fairness, & compassion for other women who were not as fortunate as her. By the end of the book she knew that she could never again be confined to the life she led before she began working at the clinic and was willing to pay the price for doing the right, but not necessarily the easy thing.
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Mimi begins the novel as a sheltered young woman shaped by her family, society, and the times in which she lives. Working at the clinic exposes her to the realities of other women’s lives. She develops empathy, understanding, and emotional maturity. She becomes more realistic, courageous, and independent.
Seeing the change and growth in Mimi was one of my favorite parts of this book. At first Mimi is a rather sheltered, immature and judgmental person. The need to financially assist her family forces her to enter the world and really see others. She begins to see the reasons and understands the needs of the women that come to the clinic. Her growth is best shown by her unwillingness to take the plea deal, but instead value her friends and the clinic. When we know better, we do better and Mimi now knows better!
I agree with Dee in that the growth in Mimi was definitely the best part of the book. You find yourself cheering her on at every turn in the story. She knows how to make the right choices even though she suffers for most of those choices.
Mimi changes from being a subservient woman afraid of her own shadow to seeing the real world where a woman had no life of her own. She had real empathy for the women who came to the clinic.
The author’s descriptions of Mimi gradually reflected her changes from the very scared wife to the confident woman willing to live her convictions. She was a risk taker and fighter. I admired her changing attitude and as someone previously said, her grit.