Weeping Willow Essay, Research Paper

I chose to read this book because I thought it would be very interesting. I didn?t really expect to see this book in the library because one of my friends had already spoken to me about it. He said that he read the book already and that it was really good. I immediately took the book and signed it out.

This story began with a girl named Tiny, who was talking to her imaginary friend, Willa. Tiny had made her imaginary friend quite sometime ago. Now she?s older and is attending high school. In the beginning, Tiny had no friends, but she began to get to know some people and she was no longer an outcast. Tiny thought she was very pessimistic, but she had someone to make her feel more optimistic about herself. Aunt Evie was the person who made her feel this way. She was a middle age woman that everyone knew and just called her by that name. Tiny really liked Aunt Evie. She would always come to her house to tell her everything that was going on in her life and bring her some food at the same time. One of these occasions might be where Tiny had a huge crush on her new music teacher and she ran right away to Aunt Evie?s house and told her.

The school year was going great for Tiny. She was becoming more popular and had many more friends. She was a part of a very friendly group. Everything was going fine until a very scary thing happened to her. Vern, her stepfather, came home drunk and almost raped her. It all happened when Tiny came home and wore her bathing suit. Her stepfather came home drunk and saw her like this and decided to rape her. He didn?t do it on purpose. Tiny was very afraid of him and tried to avoid him in every possible way from there on since. She didn?t even tell her mom about it. The only person Tiny had in her life right now was Willa. She helped comfort Tiny during her time of need. Tiny got affected in many ways from this experience. She didn?t attend school for a while a dropped out of the talent show. Her friend Bobby Lynn got mad at her for doing this because she was complaining that they were suppose to do this together.

Another year passed by which meant there was another talent show Tiny could enter. This time, Tiny got stage fright and didn?t win. Everyone knew Tiny had the potential to do better, but it wasn?t happening for Tiny. A boy named Jesse walked into her life. She thought he was very cute and they started to go out. Tiny really liked Jesse and actually started to love him. During that summer, Tiny and Jesse wanted to buy a car so they both made a whole lot of money and had just enough to do so. Everything was going great for Tiny.

It was her last year in high school and things started to change. Jesse and Tiny broke up. She felt terrible and thought she wouldn?t be able to live without him. Tiny got over her brake up with Jesse. Then another event occurred that was very shocking. Her stepsister Phyllis was almost raped by her father, Vern. Tiny finally decided to tell her mother. She filed for divorce and things to change for Tiny once again.

It was time for the very last talent show of Tiny?s high school life. Tiny was very nervous that night because Jesse was in the audience, but with the help of Willa, she overcame her fear. She went out and sang beautifully and everyone loved her performance. She won first prize. Tiny needed that money because she wanted to go to college. Jesse called her right away and begged her to take him back. She refused him and said she was going to the prom with her neighbor, Cecil.

Tiny went up to Ruby Mountain where she previously lived. She met up with Willa once again. Willa explained to her that this was going to be that last time together because Tiny didn?t need her anymore. Willa said bye and was out of Tiny?s life forever.

As I read this novel, I thought my friend was wrong about this book and that it was going to be boring, but when I got more into the book; I enjoyed it a lot more. I felt really sorry for Tiny because she had to go through a lot of changes in her life. I couldn?t believe what I was reading when I learned her own stepfather raped her. I was really eager to learn more about what would happen afterwards.

I really enjoyed reading this novel for several reasons. One of them might be about the part where Tiny got raped. It made the book a lot more interesting and made me want to continue reading. It practically took me two days of reading because I couldn?t put it down. I also liked that Tiny was able to continue her life even after she had to experience such a terrible moment in her life. I was really happy to see that she was able to put her foot down and stand up for Phyllis and herself.

The book was written in a narrative tense. It was very easy to understand because there weren?t a lot of big words, which would just make the book more complicated.

There were many characters in this story. Tiny was the main character of the book. I guess she was an example of a girl who could withstand anything. She would make a good role model for young teenage girls. Willa was her imaginary friend who helped her get through her worst times. Aunt Evie did the same by always being there to talk to Tiny. Vern was Tiny?s stepfather. Without him, there wouldn?t be much of a book because he was the character that made it more interesting. There were many other characters such as Tiny?s friends and teachers, but they weren?t essential to the book.

The conflicts in this story were Tiny trying to deal with her life style and Vern at the same time. No child should have to go through what Tiny went through as she was growing up. She had to deal with loving herself and others. The thing that inflicted the most damage was when Vern violated her. The only way the conflict go resolved was when Vern truck again. He raped Tiny?s stepsister, Phyllis. This made Tiny feel worse and then she decided to tell her mom what perspired.

This book didn?t remind me of a previous book I read. It did make me remember about all of those movies they showed on television about these teenage girls who were being raped by their boyfriends.