What a Barbarity, Barbara!

4 words to describe what I feel about this chapter: Barbara. Drives. Me. Insane. I mean, how can a person be so inapprehensible with her own father? Even worse, how can she be so intolerant with her father when she knows he is crazy? This really upsets me.

I am not sure if I feel this way because of situations I’ve lived or if everyone also feels this way. Anyways, I think she is so inpatient with him and so frivolous, she doesn’t even look like her daughter, instead she seems like a nurse or his doctor. 

“If you’re going to start acting like a child, maybe we’ll just have to treat you like a child.” (Pg. 131) WTF! He is crazy! He has mental issues! He is your father! Jeez! If I was in front of her I would pretty much insult her. It ironic you know, I am guessing Billy took care of her when she was young, and I am almost sure he did it patiently and with love, and know that the role changes… Barbara acts so “mature” and that’s way she treats him that way. The narrator says it himself, “it was very exciting for her, taking away his dignity In the name of love” (Pg. 132) She enjoyed make him feel inferior by showing her authority.

I can’t find a reasonable explication on why she acts that way, maybe she can’t deal with it anymore, she is tiered, but she feels an obligation to “take care” of him. Maybe she is scared that he will do something unpredictable and end up killing himself. Maybe she just does it so she won’t have a conscience that she didn’t help him.

What would be better, that someone does something good for you with GOOD intentions, or they do it just to get it out of the way or to at least say you tried?

Its sad how people like Barbara are not only on novels, they are everyday people who see their parents (when they are old of course) as a load, and don’t appreciate anything they did for them when they were small. The lack of patience, which I must admit am also guilty of it, is also sad. Our parents had so much patience when we were learning how to walk, with our homework’s, with our problems etc.

What is this lack of toleration towards them?