Question

In the book Westover Educated

By Chapter 12, “Fish Eyes,” we are introduced to Shawn’s abuse of Westover and the other women in his life, which recurs throughout the book. When Westover starts crying over one of these early incidents, she writes that she is crying from the pain, not from Shawn hurting her, and that she sees herself as “unbreakable.” She also writes that his abuse not affecting her “was its effect.” Why is this insight important?

Answer 1

The ‘Fish Eyes” is a story of a girl Tara Westover getting humiliated in the hands of her brother Shawn. The family of Tara consisted of parents two brother Shawn and Tyler and one younger sister Audrey, The family followed the Mormon faith. Her father Mr. Gene was a disillusioned man who believes that the US government Is spoiling and corrupting its citizens giving Godless education, and are following satanic medical practices and striping every citizen in the name of surveillance

He did not allow his children to study but Tara wanted to have a normal life that was continuously targeted and tortured by her brother Shawn, she was dragged to the toilet and dragged through the house floor as a punishment , her mother was paranoid, the children were made to work at an early age in the flourishing oil business.

Every torture and abuse by her brother was taken by her as a step forward in her decision to leave the home she was helped by her brother Tyler to study and leave the house for her safety, Tyler had already left the house studied and was settled.

With his support, she took admission in the ACT and worked through to meet her expenses.

Shawn her brother was least bothered about other ladies like her mother, younger sister, and her young wife  Emily, they all were abused by him and he was violent against them, her younger sister Audrey was suffering silently, she did not have the courage to leave the family, fearing the family would disown her.

When her brother Shawn dragged Tara to the toilet to be punished she had severe pain in her wrist and could not breadth but the pain did not affect her, she was becoming more courageous and determined to leave the house and have her own life.

Because of the pain and continuous abuse by her brother who had suffered head injurious but was denied the medical treatment that had complicated his case, and at last they have to take medical help for his treatment that had made him a mentally sick person and his eyes looking like Fish eyes.

The abuses and discouragement and abuse by the brother made her stronger and she left the house, for her further studies, to Cambridge to pursue her Ph.D.

The abuse and tortures had put her into anxiety and depression, her lack of worldly knowledge was the cause of her feeling low in the classroom, but her professors helped her sail through her studies, she finished her studies and moved to London. Her brother Tyler was her only support throughout her struggling period, in contrast to her abusing brother Shawn, but the reason for her studies is the pain inflicted on her by her brother, he is the direct cause of her studies and the other brother Tyler was continuous support and strength for her.

She feels her education is the gift of abuse violence, and loves that transformed her and helped her metamorphosis her pain into success and happiness, as she discovered her freedom from age-old rituals and belief.