AFTER THE FALLS

a) Cathy's relationship with her mother and father

Cathy's relationship with her father and mother is quite complicated. Cathy was very close to her father. During a series of changes that happened to their life, their relationship has been changing continuously and finally Cathy grew up to become an independent young woman. Her mother, however, was more like a constant role in Cathy's life, especially after her father's death.

Cathy was very close to her father during her early years. She worked in her father's drug store, and they collaborated on different projects. Their spent so much time together that a psychiatrist pointed out that Cathy was“far too close with my father and Roy and needed to have female friends or I would not be “socialized” correctly.“ (20) The situation changed when Cathy became a teenager . She tended to stay with her friends more often and the bond between her and her father became loose. This phenomenon is common and expected even in society nowadays. I personally don't feel as much connected as I was when I was younger. I believe the same applied to the majority of teenagers.

Another significant change between their relationship is the brain cancer with which Cathy's father got diagnosed. Between staying with her father and lots of opportunities away from family, Cathy chose to leave her father to her mother. Near the end of her father's life, Cathy realized that what she had done made her father think he could never be good enough. The last comment Cathy's father gave her was “She was a real pip.” (337) As it turned out the word "Pip" can be used with completely opposite meanings, someone to be loved or someone to be disliked. I think that perfectly explains most parents' feeling to their children: "endless love but with sorrow and disappointments."

On the other hand, Cathy's relationship with her mother is quite the opposite and stable. Her mother is always there for Cathy, but she never interrupts too much to Cathy's personal life. Their connection is far less close. However, when Cathy is at her 60s, she finally understand the sacrifices her mother has done for her and the family, such as the taking care of her father after he got cancer.

b)Influence of Popular culture

Lots of reference to popular culture can be found in After the Falls. They worked in the background to make the story vivid and help readers understand the days in Cathy's memory more easily.

The first major influence of popular culture is the assassination of President Kennedy. “President Kennedy was shot. He’s been shot in the head in a motorcade in Dallas.” (P. 95) As one of the most famous event happened in US history, This news was a huge shock to Cathy's mother and after that she lost huge deal of passion for life. And also it leads to Cathy's political involvement because of the later-on Black Lawn Jockey incident.

Lots of samples of fashion at that time can be found in the passage. In order for Cathy to fit in, she must wear the most popular of current styles. So the essentials were purchased, “The Ladybug blouses, cable-knit sweaters with matching knee socks, the shoes at Pappagallo’s, and London Fog raincoats.” (P.37) Also, when Cathy arrives at the University of Ohio, she outgrows her preppy past, meeting Sarah, a “beatnik” who brought her to an early Buffalo Springfield concert, opening up Cathy to the world of hippies.

At the aspect of civil rights issues at that time, Laurie Coal, Cathy's African-American boyfriend, plays an instrumental role. Laurie came down most weekends and together we got involved in civil rights demonstrations and worked for the [NAACP]." (264) Her passion for welfare and helping others is supported by her experiences in riots of the time. Ultimately, popular culture helps her gain an understanding of herself and allows her to become more mature.

c) Work Life

Throughout the book, Cathy has built up a very impressive resume for herself. Her work life started from her child life, and leads her to lots of different places. A large portion of the memoir is based around Cathy’s work experiences and her determination to succeed.

As a child, Cathy spent most of her time working in her father’s drugstore, McClure’s Drugs. And this job ended when they moved to Buffalo. In her teenage years, seek for another source of money, Cathy started the business of selling makeup products to her peers. She sold Mary Kay Cosmetics to her classmates at breaks during school and discovers that she “seemed to have been born to work, for soon I was toiling until the wee hours and ranking as a top saleswoman, before moving on to the big time - Mary Kay cosmetics.” (84) Along with that she also got a job at a donut shop, the Dunks.

Later in the novel, she got a job at the Howard Johnson as a short order cook, something she was not particularly accustomed to. She is fired for her inability to make a Western and other orders when complaints start to come into the kitchen. However, she was lucky enough to get a job to replace a hostess. Working at this hotel, she was given a wage increase of three years and part-time work whenever she desired. This came as a shock when she politely served none other than Howard Johnson himself.

One of Cathy's most significant jobs in her life was at New York State Welfare. She decided to start a program to “match the teenager to the position.” (208) and succeeded when she gets a job at a riding school for Flaps, a polite and kind son of a prostitute who survives on his own and has a special connection with horses. Cathy went back to the riding academy a few years later and found out that Flaps “had worked at the club all through high school” and “Everyone had heard of him. He’d managed an entire stable that was as long as a city block.” (211) She felt she had truly made a difference in someone’s life and takes note that this can be achieved with hard work.

d) Friendship

Cathy's friendship is pivotal in the memoir. It began with Roy, the driver at her father's drug store. fter the incident at church, she brings back memories of her friend as she "began to tell him of all that had happened since moving. It poured out: the ugliness of the neighbourhood, the tiny house, the four-lane highways and the restaurants where the unhappy worked and the unhappier ate." (30) Roy is a symbol of her growth, as she smokes with him in spite of her parents' disapproval.

When Cathy met Laurie after they both won the Fun City poetry contest she was taken aback by his good looks, but lacked some initial social skills to break the ice. However, the two “travelled around the state, eventually winding up where we’d started, in western New York.” (235) and slowly became closer. It seems as though the relationship was over at the end of the speaker series, but she was surprised to find out that he attends Ohio State and a more intimate relationship could be possible. This relationship was a substantial focus of the memoir for many chapters as they became a couple. She learned to loosen her grip on life and let things happen when she was with Laurie. However, all that Cathy knew of Laurie came crashing down when two FBI agents told her he was a con man and most likely selling drugs at Ohio State. Her trust in men had reached new heights with Laurie but now was at a new low.