"Then one day, my 4-year-old was having one of her regularly scheduled Scarlett O'Hara-ish nervous breakdowns. I found myself watching from a writerly distance, dissecting her motives the way I would a fictional character's. What hidden desires and fears fueled this particular tantrum? She wanted to wear woolen tights even though it was 92 degrees out, sure, but what else?
The tights had to be symbolic. In a story, anyway, they would be. Of course they were. Everything with a 4-year-old is symbolic."
Shearn, Amy. "A Writer's Mommy Guilt" New York Times Sunday, July 7, 2013. Review, 8.
Would the tights be symbolic? A perennial question on this blog: are authors (some, all, any?) conscious of the clothing choices they make for their characters?
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| The last time wearing wool stockings in summer was considered logical. "Portrait of a girl and an infant", c.1890s, in the collections at History Colorado. |
The tights had to be symbolic. In a story, anyway, they would be. Of course they were. Everything with a 4-year-old is symbolic."
Shearn, Amy. "A Writer's Mommy Guilt" New York Times Sunday, July 7, 2013. Review, 8.
Would the tights be symbolic? A perennial question on this blog: are authors (some, all, any?) conscious of the clothing choices they make for their characters?