The character formerly known as Sandy...

At the end of class we were asked to consider the problems associated with a particular character and how they interact with the world. I had a particular interest in the character formerly known as Sandy, but now is referred to as Shelia. In Sandy's life the most important things are her ideals. She is always expressing her thoughts about others to Birdie. One of the most obvious examples of this is when she expresses her thoughts on the difference between a conservative WASP and a liberal WASP, while considering where her landlord, the Marshes, fall. But I also think her ideals get her into trouble. Instead of thinking about how she wants to go about expressing her ideals, she acts upon emotion, which is evident her feelings towards all the places her and Birdie find themselves. The problem that she is actively trying to solve is concealing her identity to protect herself and Birdie. Paradoxically, At the same time, it seems as though she is trying to form a new, permanent identity to replace the old Sandy. This is seen through her weight loss and recklessness with her new boyfriend Jim. Moreover, I feel as though she is most comfortable with people being confident in her new identity. She feels least confident when she is forced to evaluate her decisions and action. The audience becomes aware of this while Birdie questions her mother's intentions of dating Jim, which she fervently ignores. All in all, I think Sandy wants to be loved, but she is unsure of her identity, which makes it difficult for her to be capable of wanting/being loved. Unless she is able to resolve her identity crisis, I'm not sure as to whether or not she can offer herself or Birdie anything meaningful.