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jumps on Rodney's trampoline and a neighbor tells her "you'll<br />
tear your insides loose"(670). Someone with confidence and<br />
direction would ignore such a wives tale, but Jeanette allows it<br />
to modify her behavior. We are told that she stops jumping so<br />
much, even though she obviously enjoys it (670).<br />
Because the men she works around are "normal" men,<br />
providers, successful drivers of Cadillacs, and flirtatious<br />
womanizers, Jeanette expects that a successful father/husband<br />
will provide both material and emotional needs. In her mind<br />
however, the material provisions take precedent. In fact,<br />
Jeanette only feels like she has a "normal" family as Donald<br />
takes her shopping, brings Rodney a present, brings money home<br />
for the family(656). She fails to realize that the Big Bertha<br />
Stories are myths which, for Donald, create emotional support.<br />
Jeanette wants a normal man who does normal things. Donald, as<br />
we see in the course of the story, is not a normal man.<br />
Jeanette refuses to deal with situations which are ugly or<br />
painful which is one reason her marriage is failing and when she<br />
does deal with these situations she looks to an outside<br />
authority to enforce her view as being right. Her use of the<br />
Therapist is solely to discuss Donald, and when she is<br />
confronted by questions about her own thoughts she avoids them,<br />
resenting Dr. Robinson because he "seems to be waiting for her<br />
to make something out of" her ordeal with Donald (661). She
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