Journal Response

Most people say "never change" and "to be yourself" but in Sunny's situation, changing was the only thing that could have stopped her from trying to commit suicide. Its human nature to adapt to your situations. For Sunny that was very difficult for she had been living in a cult her whole life and is now supposed to forget what they taught her so vigorously and learn new morals. "Tears burned her lids; she closed her eyes tight to keep them from slipping out. No crying, even without anyone to see and make a report."(47) The cult leaders had taught her that things we find normal even to make us feel better was wrong. Every one in the cult would report each other and if you were reported you were sent to a small dark room to sit in your own filth and silence. In the novel I am using, Sunny would never let her children watch television but now that she lives with her father and step mother she must change her ways. Her step mother Liesel must also change because she has always wanted children but her husband Christopher, Sunny's dad had never wanted them and never knew that he had a daughter. Liesel wanted to start a family, she didn't want to raise Chirstopher's 19 year old daughter along with her three young kids. She must change the way she does things and incorporate the kids into her life. Liesel must change the way she thinks Sunny's kids should be raised and listen to Sunny's decisions. Liesel also puts away her thoughts on modern things and listens to what Sunny says and even starts to use some of the things that the cult taught Sunny like how not to waste. The way I see change in All fall down is that change is something that happens all the time that we all have to cope with. Change in our lives can be for the better or for worse. In the novel All fall down it just happens to be for the better. When Sunny tries to change she is actually changing the way her kids will grow up, the way they will live and interact with people, she is making their life better.