when was "The Two Grandmothers" by Olive Senior written?
Answers
Answer:
Olive Senior, author of ‘The Two Grandmothers’, was born in Trelawney, Jamaica. She attended Montego Bay High School, then went on to study journalism in Cardiff, Wales. She then studied at Carlton University in Ottowa. She currently lives in Canada, but visits Jamaica regularly.
SUMMARY
The story opens with a little girl telling her mother about her experiences with her two grandmothers; grandma Dell and grandma Elaine a.k.a Towser. Grandma Dell is her ‘country’ grandmother who lives in rural Jamaica, raises lifestock, caters to her community, takes her grand daughter to church and is enamored by her grand daughter’s ‘pretty’ skin and hair. Grandma Elaine, on the other hand, is her ‘town’ grandmother. She has had multiple marriages, is a socialite who dates wealthy men, travels, and is very concerned about her physical appearance. The grand daughter, initially, prefers her country grandmother, who is very attentive to her needs and loved to ‘show her off’ to her friends and neighbours. However, as the story progresses, and the narrator ages and matures, she begins to prefer her town grandmother, who is more cosmopolitan and appreciative of material things. With her change in attitude to grandma Dell, however, also comes a change in attitude to her country friends. They are no longer figures who inspire awe, but girls to look down on as ‘less than’. The story closes with the teenage narrator proposing that her family should spend a day with her country grandmother – then she would be taken care of until next year – ensuring that they have more time to spend with Towser (Grandma Elaine) as well as pursue more interesting exploits.