Lamplighter

Depictions of girls. That is some concept that actually seemed to stump me. I guess I never really thought about it before. Throughout Gerty’s life in the story, Lamplighter, I felt mostly sympathy for her. She had it so rough, it was depressing that the people said she “look[ed] like a witch!” (p 81). Then True took notice of her and she became “the apple of [his] eye” (p110). Amy Pholer asked “This show is about girls being themselves, what advice would you give?” (or at least something along those lines). The girl on the video answers “Don’t think about what you have to do for people to like you, you want people to like you for who you are”. If Gerty had been asked this she may have answered differently or even oppositely given what she has been through. She has hidden herself for so long that it is all she knows. Even with True, she still seems to hide herself. Once exposed to God and religion she still is somewhat negative and resistant because she doesn’t think that the other girls should be treated fairly since she never was. It’s a constant battle within herself that she may or may not know about. This is happening with contemporary girls today also, especially since today’s society seems to value looks even more. Girls today feel as though they need to prove themselves in order to be liked and accepted. I don’t agree with it, nor would I think most people, but just as it happened in the past, it is happening now as well.