Lucy Grealy

A detailed Summary of Lucy Grealy

At one point or another, everyone has felt shame and self-doubt about physical inferiority. In Autobiography of a

Face, Lucy Grealy's struggle with cancer appeared minor in comparison to her feelings of repulsiveness because

of the deformity it caused. While coming to terms with who she is, the effects of society's stress on beauty and its

unforgiving cultural mirror is enhanced by her gender. Females in our society feel more compelled to adapt to the

prescribed standards of attractiveness. By means of positive and negative events, she transforms her misfortune

into a revelation about beauty and universal truths.

The confusion and loneliness of childhood began to engulf her as children began to tease and treat her

as inferior: "Hey girl take of your monster mask - oops. She's not wearing a mask!" (118). The Chemotherapy

caused hair loss and a sickly appearance and the numerous operations left her face deformed. She felt ugly as a

response to people's public display of shock. As if the stares and whispers were not harsh enough, some children

would even call her 'baldy' as they would run past and knock off her hat. At school, girls would gaze at her

disfigurement and boys would laugh shamelessly

In our society, women are especially pressured to wear their beauty on the surface. Lucy found hers

During one of her recessions in self-esteem, her friend form college, Greg, pulled her up by taking her

as bold and as happy as I felt that night?" (120). In the long run, she recognizes that people have to come to

self-esteem happened when a homeless man, begging for money, approached her from behind. When she

getting a new face put on, but now I saw it came from shedding my image" (222). Throughout her life she tried to

"I'd had [freedom] behind my Halloween mask all those years. As a child I expected my liberation to come from

had longed to be accepted by society's standards, but came to terms with her feelings and acknowledged her true

Approximate Word count = 1232
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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