"In those circumstances, it is easy to become selfish, and I reassured myself with the thought that Jean was too old to go off and fight and my children were too young to be hurt." (102)
From, The Norton's Book of Woman's Lives, by Phyllis Ross
In Emilie Carles's reading, a Life of Her Own, Emilie Carles and her husband Jean had comes from very different family dynamics. He came from a wealthy family and also had a mother. She came from a family of peasants with only her father alive. Jean gave out his money like it grew on trees, and didn't seem to be very smart when it came to his money. Emilie, on the other hand, was incredibly organized and hard-working all her life even up to the time she and her husband turned their house into a hotel. A pattern in life I have noticed is that most who do not grow up with much, are willing to work harder for what they never have had.
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| Emilie Carles: A Life of Her Own |
Throughout this passage, it becomes very clear that Emilie not only persevered through hardship but did it all selflessly. Even throughout the war and the death of her daughter, she still managed to push herself and the rest of her family to keep on moving and better themselves. Emilie does a great job setting an example of accepting all "fate" (107) and using that to grow and evolve so that we can live a precious life.
I agree with your take on how she experienced so much hardship while doing so selflessly. I wrote about the same thing; great minds think alike! :)
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