In the book, "Send Me Down a Miracle", by Han Nolan, the main character, Charity, in the beginning of the book, worships Adrienne, an artist who has come to her small time to work on her art. She sees her as a free spirit, one who isn't trapped by her hometown or close-minded like the people in her tiny town. Charity sees Adrienne as the polar opposite of her father, who's the town's preacher. She dislikes her father and strives to be unlike him, while she likes Adrienne and wants to mimic her every move.
This being said, I've noticed through the course of the book that Adrienne and "the reverend" actually have a lot in common. They're both selfish, putting themselves before others, both steadfast in their values, and both have their "escapes", The reverend's in the bible, and Adrienne's in her art. So, if they're both flawed, and rather similar people, why does Charity worship Adrienne and despise her father?
The answer to this, I think, lies mostly in the ways these two individuals portray themselves. The reverend is a serious, worrisome, composed person with a very sparse sense of humor. Adrienne on the other hand, is a seemingly carefree, openly-loving, funny, and extravagant person who is a breath of fresh air for Charity. Their differences in exterior personality, even though they may be all too similar on the inside, is how Charity decides who to model herself after.
Another reason that Charity seems to have put Adrienne on a pedestal is because her mother leaves just a few days before Adrienne comes to town, and even if Charity doesn't know it, she's subconsciously looking for a replacement. Adrienne is someone who treats her as special, and gives her love, something her father doesn't.
This book is a very interesting look on personality, human nature, religion, conformity, and coming-of-age, along with many other things. I would definitely recommend it to my classmates.
Great post! I totally agree, people admire and look up to others who may in their minds be replacing someone else. It's kind of gross but this makes me think about those women who had problems with or were lacking their dad, and so they get into relationships with older men who replace their dads. But sometimes you hate the person who is replacing someone special, like step-parents, often people resent them because they could not let these not related people replace their parents.
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