The Constant Struggle :: English Literature

The Constant Struggle â€Å"To be or not to be, that is the question.† Indeed, this is the question Barbara constantly asks herself, whether or not she has to be a responsible mom to Jodie, or to try and have a life of her own. In the short story â€Å"Over the Hill† by Lynne Schwartz, Barbara is a single mother struggling between the difficult tasks of being a mom and of being a single adult. Barbara faces a dilemma that many other single parents also faces, and that is their desire to date other people because they don’t want to be a single parent for the rest of their lives. However, her responsibility as a single mom doesn’t always allow her to do that. As a result, Barbara is a responsible, fun loving mother torn between her duty to her daughter and her need for adult companionship. Like many other single parents around the world, the income Barbara makes is not always enough to take care of her family. Consequently, being the responsible mom that she is, Barbara is â€Å"taking a short course, one night a week† on bartending along with her friend Pat in hopes of having a supplementary source of money (pg 208). They think that they could â€Å"make a lot of money on the side doing bartending at fancy parties† (pg 208). Barbara hopes that her income working as a â€Å"draftsperson in an architect’s office† in addition to the bartending money she hopes on making will be enough to support her family (pg 208). Although Barbara thinks that â€Å"under certain circumstances abortion might be a good idea†, she did not get an abortion when she was pregnant with Jodie (pg 209). Why didn’t she get an abortion? Barbara didn’t get an abortion because she is a dependable person that takes responsibilities for her own actions, even though she knows that her life would be utterly transformed when she becomes a single mother. Although Barbara feels depressed at the end of the night when she thinks that James isn’t coming over, she still plays her role as the responsible mother and reminds Jodie that she â€Å"should be going to bed,† because she has a â€Å"dentist appointment tomorrow† (pg 217). By trying to make more money, not getting an abortion when she was pregnant with Jodie, and reminding Jodie that she has a dentist appointment the next day even though she’s depressed about James shows just how dedicated and responsible Barbara is to being a mother. In addition to being a responsible mother, Barbara is also very fun loving. She enjoys â€Å"fooling around with shakers and glasses like kids