“I thought I could turn my life into a room and choose what goes in it.” Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Although sometimes influenced by others, a person's life is influenced most by the choices they make and whether or not they decide to take the opportunities they are presented with. Amy Witting's novel "I for Isobel" explores this idea through the protagonist Isobel, who reflects that she "thought she could turn [her] life into a room and choose what goes into it", suggesting that she does not believe she has any power over his destiny and that his destiny is predetermined. It is undeniable that Isobel experiences a harrowing childhood. Her mother's hatred is common and has a devastating impact on her life, yet ultimately Isobel is not free from criticism for how her life unfolds. Isobel has multiple opportunities to take a positive direction, such as moments when others show her kindness. However, by playing the victim, he only puts himself at a greater social disadvantage when trying to form and maintain relationships. Isobel's lack of happiness and challenge in discovering herself in the novel are due to multiple factors, including her upbringing, her belief in religion, destiny, and literature. However, ultimately, it is her reluctance to believe that she has any control over her life that sends her spiraling throughout Isobel's youth, due to the unfair treatment meted out by her. May Callaghan's incessant attacks erode her daughter's self-esteem, causing her to constantly question herself and her choices, and influencing her actions to not be a "house devil," a "bad little beast," or a "little liar shameless." Isobel's innocent story of witnessing a fireball – which turned "the spring rainwater rosy red" before her eyes, leads to "fireball [becoming] another word for lie and l 'rosy water [which closes] forever behind a wall of derisive laughter." Despite being young and imaginative, young Isobel comes to accept her mother's repeated assertion that she is an inveterate liar, to the point that even "she [accepts] herself as a helpless born liar." Through Isobel's joyful moment when she spins around and takes coins from adults on her birthday, it is evident that her mother's dominance and disapproval affects Isobel's ability to see right from wrong. After this case, Isobel constantly questions her actions that hold her back from the opportunities in front of her, as her mother robbed her of childhood innocence and imagination. Furthermore, May Callaghan's significantly better treatment of her eldest daughter, Margaret, compared to her poor treatment of Isobel, diminishes Isobel's trust and makes her feel unloved and disliked by everyone. Furthermore, due to the disgust shown by her parents for the poetry about cats that Isobel wrote as a child, she denies any talent she has as a writer, as she associates writing with criticism from her parents. Therefore this impacts Isobel's life choices as she has to realize that her parents were overly judgmental, in order to embrace this talent and start writing. Thus, the amount of control Isobel has over her life is influenced by how she was raised. Isobel tries to improve her circumstances by seeking a source that gives her inner peace, however since she does not have a resilient character, when these sources fail to help her find this peace, she only ends upfind himself in worse shape than he started out with. The "state of grace" makes Isobel feel like she has some power over her life. When she receives the yellow dress from Aunt Noelene, she even says that “the state of grace, the peace and security that comes from it, means more than any dress”. However, when her mother tears away her yellow dress, it takes away any control Isobel had because “it wasn't just a dress. It was so much more." As a result Isobel is then at a disadvantage because not only has she lost her state of grace but she also feels she has a lack of authority over her life. Turning to fate, as a response to the way her life is unfolding , Isobel becomes convinced that she cannot control her destiny because destiny has this power. Furthermore, the way Isobel retreats among books instead of socializing with others, shows that books control her life in some way. . Books have always been present for Isobel and because she did not receive enough support from others during her childhood, she has cultivated this addiction to books even in adulthood. However, this means that she has difficulty maintaining relationships with others because they do not develops this social capacity. When Isobel “writhes… in pain” as she passes the telephone booth where she used to “let out a stream of hate,” using the book as protection, she “[straightens] and [walks] towards the booth, with control. " She also describes her German dictionary as a “talisman”, so she sees it as a symbol of good luck and protection. This shows that the control Isobel has over her life is heavily influenced by literature. When Isobel turns to religion and saints for guidance and becomes more and more lost, she explains that "the ritual failed her" and that it "depressed her so much", which illustrates how when other sources don't help her, Isobel feels lost. Furthermore, Isobel's mother was conservative and strict and Mrs. Bowers and Mrs. Prendergast's traditionalist values ​​make her see relationships as an “unpleasant punishment” and an “enemy.” Therefore, this affects Isobel's ability to make connections with others , which is extremely important in one's life. Initially Isobel's life is shaped by her unfortunate childhood, particularly the influence of her mother, but as visible through Amy Witting's narrative choice, Isobel plays the victim to the point that it is destructive. Isobel is overly caught up in being "one of the crowd" and is blinded by her talent as a writer. Additionally, her self-deprecating nature is shown through Amy Witting's limited third-person narration, which is extremely self-critical. much of the novel This constant psychological self-abuse causes Isobel to fail to seize opportunities when they present themselves and to interpret much of what others say to her the wrong way. Furthermore, Isobel stops writing because her parents discourage it, she stops embroidering because Miss Harman tells her she has "bad vulgar taste," and she gives up the state of grace after giving in and reacting to her mother's anger. These cases show that Isobel is unable to persevere and this puts her at a disadvantage as much as her life is guided by what is said by others. Furthermore, the reason she fails to become “one of the crowd” is partly self-imposed as she cultivates her own social isolation and fails to recognize those who support her. Mrs. Bowers and Mrs. Prendergast offer her a form of kindness she's never had before, Olive gives her career advice, Frank encourages her to become a writer, the Special Audience invites her into their social group, and Aunt Noelene pays her l 'rent and gives her life. advise. However, Isobel denies all this kindness because she feels she doesn't deserve it. Building walls from.