The Influence Of Parents In Kevin Wilson's Go, Win

Parents affect their children’s lives in countless ways. The endless love, helping hands, and kind words given by parents shape their children into who they are as adults; however, the overbearingness of some parents gives over to a problematic relationship amongst families. While parents do have a positive influence on their children, they sometimes overstep their boundaries by controlling their children into demise. Kevin Wilson does an impeccable job of showing the impact a mother has on her daughter in his short story “Go, Fight, Win.” In the story, Wilson utilizes conflict, plot, and characters in order to display how overbearing parents sometimes suffocate their children, leaving them searching for ways to express themselves through any …show more content…
Lacking a loving relationship, Penny finds refuge with an offbeat boy who happens to be her neighbor and brings her joy amidst the life she hates. Penny’s new acquaintance brings out a new side of her that reader’s had not previously witnessed due to her somewhat composed and introverted nature. However, the boy tries to impress her one night, catching her lawn, himself, and her on fire and leaves Penny with no one besides her mom. The climax of the plot is when she decides to basically leave everything her mother had envisioned for her behind. She shaves her head after being burned, quits the cheer team, and falls in love with a boy who was significantly younger than herself. Although it can clearly be seen the mother is not quite as accepting as she normally is with her own plans, she soon comes around to the sight of Penny’s new look. The narrator explains, “When Penny looked at herself, she was quietly happy to see that she liked how she appeared” (Wilson 162). No longer was Penny afraid to be who she was. She was finally able to express herself and be who she wanted to be, not the unoriginal person her mother wished her to be. Lynn White, author of “Coresidence and Leaving Home: Young Adults and Their Parents,’ presents an effective quote, “For young people to not break away from their parental …show more content…
Throughout the story, Penny’s mother seems to stay nearly, if not exactly the same: self-absorbed. Her static selfishness brings about a dynamic personality within Penny’s life. A recent study on “Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing” found that “[s]ingle mothers report more depression and psychological problems than married mothers and undoubtedly function less well as parents as a result” (Waldfogel, Craigie, and Brooks-Gunn). Penny’s mother’s single parenting skills are not quite up to par, and she seems to not be completely there for Penny when Penny needs her. Her unstable parenting certainly affects the person Penny becomes. Because of her mother being a static character, it seems as if Penny is quite the dynamic character; she is always ready to change. She begins the story being a girl who wanted to please her mom transitioning into a girl who no longer cared what her mother wanted for her life. In a conversation with her mother, Penny explains, “I don’t like what you think is good. I don’t like cheerleading and school and other people” (Wilson 166). She finally blossomed into someone who was capable of making her own decisions, the fear of what her mother’s opinions did not paralyze her anymore. Her mother’s static, conceited character gave way to a child who was ready to move on in life. Penny seemed to learn from her mother’s mistakes and move on from them

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The Influence Of Parents In Kevin Wilson's Go, Win

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