Who is Ivy Rowe?
...vy that may not otherwise be seen, she has relationships with her other siblings as well that display part of her. In Ivy’s relationship with Ethel and Victor, we see more of a traditional sibling relationship. They have their ups and downs, but stand by each other when necessary. Ethel becomes another outlet for Ivy as they get older. They understand each other and can discuss the events in their day to day lives without fear of judgement, even after Ethel and Victor move to Florida. The relationships between Ivy and two other siblings, Garnie and Beulah, are strained. Beulah wants to rise above where she came from and Ivy is proud of it and feels as if that is where she belongs. Beulah pushes Ivy to rise above also and this pushing causes tension in their relationship that eventually leads contact between the two ceasing. As for Ivy’s relationship with Garnie, it too is pushing. Ivy’s attitude toward religion was always one of apathy. When they are older, Garnie becomes a preacher and follows in the ways of Same Russell Sage. He comes to see Ivy and she considers being saved. After he verbally abuses and condemns her, she changes her mind and is forever turned off to religion. She then discontinues any contact with him as well. Though the relationship Ivy has with her siblings displays many sides of her, very little of that shows her softer side. The softer side of Ivy can be seen in her role as a mother. This is perhaps the most important part of herself. Ivy always longs for something of her own that she has to share with no one and her fist child is just that. In a letter to Mabel Maynard, Ivy writes “She is all mine. I have never had a thing of my own before.” It is in this moment that Ivy finds her individuality, which she has strived so hard for and ironically is tied to the life of another human being. Ivy has many children and through them she lives her dreams. She had always wanted to continue her education but life kept getting in the way. Several of her children go to college and go on to be great things. She always reminds them, though, to never forget where they came from and who they are. Her first daughter, Joli, is everything Ivy wanted in the world. It is through her that Ivy’s dreams of becoming a writer are lived, although vicariously. As Ivy and Oakley’s family continues to grow, her life revolves around her duties as a mother. She raises children, grandchildren, and even the daughter of her friend Violet. This child is still part of her heart and she raises her as if she was one of her own and never sees her as any different. It is also the loss of a child that brings her to reality. After disappearing with Honey Breeding, she comes back to find her daughter LuIda has died and been buried. It seems as if then she realizes all over again just how much family means to her. In a letter to Silvaney, she tries to explain her feelings about the loss of her daughter. “A part of me died with her” is what she writes, a...