Character Essay Peerless Flats

Character Essay

The book "Peerless Flats", written by Esther Freud, is about the life of a young girl named Lisa. She has moved to London with her mother and brother and wants to be an actress. Her mother, Marguerite, isn't very happy with the situation they live in but tries to make the best out of it. Marguerite is worried, optimistic and persistent.

Marguerite is worried because she has lost one daughter already by setting limits and desperately wants to know what's going on in Lisa's life. She gives Lisa freedom but still want to keep her close. When Lisa wants to leave the house her mother tries to keep her in. Page 61, "Her mother had a habit of introducing new and important subjects just as she was about to leave the house." But she does give Lisa a lot of freedom when it comes to going out. That is because she doesn't want to lose her the same way she lost Ruby. She is still worried about Ruby, Lisa's older sister, when she asks how Ruby is and Lisa is vague, she gets mad because nobody is telling her how her daughter is doing. Page 61, "Well you must know where she is living?" Marguerite insisted. ... She mumbled something unintelligible, even to herself. ... "Why will no one ever tell me what's going on?" she roared. ... "I'm sick to death of it." She screamed.

Secondly she is optimistic. She always tries to look at the bright side, for her children but also for herself. Page 18: "Where to?" Marguerite didn't know. "But as always," she said,"Something is bound to turn up." Page 20: "And if they won't rehouse us," Marguerite let her voice trail off, "we'll just have to think of something else." It is important for her and her children to stay optimistic. In some way it keeps them going. So it is an important trait.

Thirdly she is very persistent. She keeps on trying to get them a better house. She keeps going to the council to get them a better place to live. A house that actually has bedrooms, or at least one. Page 41: "Marguerite had met them in the office during her most recent campaign for a flat with a bedroom." Page 19: "First thing tomorrow morning," Marguerite said," I'll go down to the office and tell them we have to have a bigger flat. And I'll get them to do something about it."