I found it interesting what the cat represented. I believe that in Laney's mind her cat was her only friend and she was always there for her. Laney's immense dependence towards this cat shows up when Laney finally seeks treatment. It is clear that it is very hard for Laney to let go of the cat. I believe this is because in some way the cat reminds her of her past. However, not of the negative moments of her past but rather the positive moments she has experienced. It is almost as if she let go of her cat she would let go of those moments. The cat brought comfort to Laney but at the same time, the cat was hurting her. I couldn't think of an exact way Laney's cat was harming her, so what do you guys think?
One more thing that caught my attention was Laney's ability to turn sober even though she only had two days of treatment. It was no coincidence that once her family left her she was able to sober up. I think Laney just needed to isolate herself from all her so called "family" even though I believe they never actually tried to help her. As I said before her memories have something to do with her problem. In this case, I think all her family members reminded her of the rape, the relation with her step-dad, and other problems. Once they left it was almost like Laney could start all over.
I don't think the cat was necessarily very harmful towards her, besides that it might have caused her to be dependent. I agree that her cat was a sense of comfort because it reminded her of her positive experiences from the past. I also agree how getting away from her family made an immense difference in her recovery. Her family wasn't very helpful towards her in allowing her to let go of the past and move on from those harmful memories, even if her family was trying what they could to help her. The damage they had done before, like her mother allowing her to be abused by her step father was irreversible because Laney hadn't dealt with it and so it built up for so long.
ReplyDeleteRather than the cat representing her past, I think that the cat actually helped her forget about that past she hated. The cat was the one "constant" in her life that didn't turn against her. It is possible that she was able to sober up so quickly because of her desire to be back with her cat.
ReplyDeleteI think the cat was harmful in that it was always something to lean on. Instead of Laney dealing with her problems on her own, coming to terms with her alcoholism, and creating a future outside of her past, she relied on this cat to make everything okay. However, we do see how this relationship is beneficial, as it gives her a "friend" in times of trouble and unconditional love-- something she didn't originally think she was deserving of.
ReplyDeleteI do not think the cat was harmful to her, but in order for her to be the independent person that she wants to be the cat was not exactly helpful. I think that her family leaving definitely helped her get better faster, but I do not think that she could fully work out all of her problems without eventually facing her family again.
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