Generations!

~ There are certain people in our lives who do nothing but lead us in pain and misery, it’s destiny that decides to put them in our lives, but making them stop or letting them continue is our choice. ~

Generations by Ninotchka Rosca is very different from other stories I’ve read. The usual stories are about close family ties, the common family that helps one another, protects each other and loves every single member like no other, but this story is different, the family seems to not go along with each other very well. They always argue which ends to physical pain. Sad to accept but the father, who should protect the family is in fact the reason for all the troubles they are going through. The mother was weak and can’t fight back to the father. The children are still young to be able to understand what’s happening around them and the only person who was able to stand strong was the daughter, a pretty girl whom they look up to because she’s pretty and probably she would be known someday and she could help them rise from the poor life they belong.

This girl was strong, she knew how to handle and take care of herself and the family when the father was not there. She always follows her mother as a sign of respect even if sometimes she thinks she’s wrong. Like when the mother gives solid food to Tata Selo, she thinks that it’s no use to give the old man equal amount of food because he won’t be able to eat those, the food would only go to waste. But because her mother believed that everyone should have equal food, she obeys her without objecting.

I knew from the very start that this girl was strong, but I never realized that she was as strong as how she really was until I read the next part of the story. One night, the father went home in rage smashing the face of his wife without giving any reason why. Then after that, he left the house, but because he was drunk, the mother demanded the children together with the girl to follow him, the girl refused at first but because her mother begged, she followed.

They followed him, they try to stop him but he insisted, he said they should go home because its late but they couldn’t go home without him, their mother would just feel bad when they do it. Then they came to a checkpoint, they saw the soldiers arrest their father. The girl told her brother to go home and tell their mother what happened, the boy doesn’t really want to leave but the girl said that she’s sure that she can get him out of jail made the boy follow.

Then the next part shows how strong the girl is, she doesn’t have money but she pain the soldiers in a different way, using her body. Even the father only cost them trouble, she still sacrificed herself knowing that the father won’t even thank her after that. While she’s paying, the father rest not knowing what’s happening to the next room were the girl was being harassed.

After that night, the soldiers released the father and then he saw the girl waiting for him outside. He asked what she’s doing then she just answered she waiting for him. The upon their way back home, she tripped and the father accidentally the stain in her shirt, obviously he was able to know what happened but he did nothing, he just smiled and whispered “yeah right, waiting.” This made me feel sad for the girl, after doing everything for his useless father, he’d only laugh at her, the later on the girl hit the father’s head hard, which caused his death. I know its rude but this is probably the only way the girl know to stop the father from causing them any trouble, and that she could take care of her family better without him, killing is bad but perhaps if she won’t kill him, he would only cause trouble.

Then later on, her brother saw the dead body of their father, I knew that he’s aware of what happened, but he pretended he din not know a thing. Then they headed back home with a new hope, that maybe this time, without their father, a better life awaits them.