The only thing that is worth writing about, and that is more coherent and reasonable before and after the plot, is Mildred's way of educating his daughter Veda. After the Great Depression in 1929, Mildred had to work as a waitress in a small restaurant in order to raise two daughters alone. She was afraid that her daughters would look down on her and conceal the work for a long time. Later, it was finally discovered by his teenage daughter Veda. After the fierce argument, Mildred still said that he went to study "lower-level" to open a restaurant. At this time, I thought that Mildred would realize a certain spiritual nirvana, and finally realized the beauty and dignity of labor itself; but what was interesting was that Midred compromised with her daughter Veda—she told Veda not to give up the “noble” concept in her mind In other words, even if Mildred is poor and tired no matter how bad she is, as long as her daughter keeps the traditional good habits of nurturing others and maintains an artistic noble temperament, then her suffering will not be in vain.
I think this is probably the tragic way many people educate their children. It may not have the extreme ups and downs in the drama, but the ultimate goal is to free their children from the harsh environment in which they grow up. "Upper class". Many years later (and some of them were in the process of their children's growth), I suddenly found that the children looked down upon themselves in their hearts, and then robbed the world with grief.
Why can't Mildred let Veda know the fact that he is working in a restaurant? She is afraid that her daughter will despise herself, and she is afraid that this will affect her noble temperament that has begun to grow and develop. It’s no wonder that Veda’s favorite thing is to tell her completely confused parents about Chopin’s piano music, Italian opera lyrics, and new and gorgeous celebrities; she is under the protection of her mother’s generous wings. She is totally unaware of the sufferings in the world, even her mother is ashamed of selling handmade scones, not to mention she has to put on a uniform and do a livelihood of serving others.
But Veda's idea of a noble life is not groundless. In the play, the person who looks down on the uniformed laborer is actually the laborer Mildred herself. It took her so hard to be forced by life to embark on a self-sufficient labor road. Mildred has never really enjoyed the material and spiritual freedom that labor brings to her. The purpose of her determination to lower her identity is to let her daughters maintain their "noble" spiritual concepts and material pursuits. Become an elegant lady. So in the end, it's no wonder that Veda hates Glandale in her heart, the little broken place where she grew up, and hates that she has a mother who can't handle it.
This can’t help but make me wonder about the purpose of having children—not to mention those who count on mothers to be expensive from the beginning, but only consider those who are unselfishly and completely dedicated to their children. How much of this is secretly counting on Can children achieve their unfinished career or unfulfilled ideal? I want to know whether as parents, when they start to educate their children for a "higher" lifestyle, do they realize that this is actually the biggest denial and irony of themselves? And how can a parent who doesn't respect himself expect to educate a child who respects himself and others?
Perhaps it is our human society that has vulgarized the meaning of the word "noble". Whether it is the United States in the 1930s or China in the new century, nobility seems to be inseparable from material abundance. In popular culture, people are rarely willing to talk about spiritual nobility-rigorousness, generosity, self-sacrifice, compassion and kindness-these inner spiritual qualities are difficult to measure because of their illusion, and can never become popular labels; relative, Famous brands, famous watches, famous cars, and celebrities. These superficial material standards have become noble spokespersons because of their brilliance. The erosive big money is considered to be style, and empty talk is recognized as fashionable. It is the upper class to stay away from work and enjoy your life. Elegant and elegant; as for those behind these material piles, the flattering and flattering of the rudder are hidden in the shadow of the sun anyway. As long as the spotlight is not illuminated, they will not hinder the brilliance of the surface. The nobility that Mildred yearns for, the unstoppable and desperate high thoughts in Veda's mind, is this kind of illusion of nobility that is blinded by material desire.
Therefore, when his daughter Veda contemptuously stayed away from the town where she was born and grew up, Mildred's repentance felt a deep sadness. Isn't it that she had clearly written all of this by herself?
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