The Harsh Reality Behind The Story "Peach Cobbler" By Deesha Philyaw
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Personal Interpretation: 👫💭
- This short story called "Peach Cobbler" revolves around the harsh truth of toxic relationships or cheating for one's own gain. The story is told from the perspective of a daughter named "Olivia." The situation was around her mother having a relationship with a pastor of a church. The reason this relationship was a thing in the first place was not because of love but rather survival. The mother was left with no choice but to give up her body to the pastor in the hope of having a stable place to live. But in reality, she was just a "side-chick" who only had pleasured purposes when the pastor felt like it. Olivia eventually comes to realize the situation and questions her mom about it many times, but is shut down every single time. One thing led to the next and Olivia was now in a relationship with the pastor's son during a tutoring session. But she eventually learned the harsh truth of being cheated on, although her body was now lost to a man who cheated on her. She had come to realize that what was happening to her was the exact representation of what was happening with her mother. As time progressed, Olivia wanted to change for the better by obtaining a higher education. But her mother prevented her from doing so, fearing that her own daughter would be better than her. So in a way, it is her mother's pity that forces her to be trapped in a situation of fake love and parenting struggles. Olivia realizes that there is nothing she can do when even her own mother does not want her to succeed in life. I can never imagine how it truly felt if I were placed in the same situation as her. If even my own mother turned against me, I would feel utterly useless and depressed. The story made me realize that we can not take everything we have in life for granted. Because for many others, dream of having a life like ours but fail to do so mainly because of family complications. Although this short story "The Secret Life Of Church Lady" heavily focuses on the sexual concept, I believe it is also good to interpret it from a bird-eye view as well.
In-Class Discussion: 👀😓💬
- Today's class was special because we had a guest speaker, who was a graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana from the class of 2021. She delivered many interesting ideas regarding the story "Peach Cobbler" which focuses more on the internal relationship between the mother and the pastor. We have come to understand that although the situation between the mother and pastor was not ideal, since the mother was considered to be the "First Lady" she had many perks when it came to attending church and having power over others. But once it was over, she was back home to once again survive in hoping for a new day. Olivia mother's felt trapped, but by forcing Olivia to be the same as her: she believed it would only be fair because she sacrificed her body for Olivia. But this thought process is wrong because by not allowing Olivia to succeed, they will forever be stuck in this situation-ship and never be able to escape the box that they are currently trapped into.
Thank you for your time ✌,
Kha
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