Olive Kitteridge AP Literature
Elizabeth Strout’s novel, Olive Kitteridge, is filled with stories about the lives of regular people in Crosby, Maine. Throughout the stories, different characters are faced with adversity they are forced to deal with. While some handle their problems well and are able to cope with their hardships, others, even those with good intensions, do not find a happy ending. The story “Tulips” encapsulates the a recurring theme of the book; life is uncertain and takes us down roads upon which we had never imagined ourselves having to travel, and while these obstacles may very in their severity, it is how one is able to cope with their individual adversity that will ultimately determine their happiness.
“Tulips” is story where Olive must triumph through a hardship she didn’t see coming and one she didn’t know how to handle at first. The start of this struggle and growth of within Olive begins at the grocery store. Just as Henry was about to get back in the car a bizarre, unnatural motion caused him to end up on the ground , eyes wide open, mouth moving, and one hand attempting to grab nothing, he was having a stroke. After Henry’s stroke, their whole world changed. Olive spent her time home alone now , planting tulips, in shades of yellow, white, pink, and bright red, all planted at different depths. When she’s not planting tulips she’s in the nursing home visiting Henry. Henry has to stay in the nursing home because after the stroke he was left blind, unable to hear or speak, and confined to a wheelchair, but always smiling. Olive hated being alone, and more then that she disliked being with people. One day Olive got a condolence note from Louise Larkin, the crazy lady, with a family that no one talks about. All because Louise’s son stabbed a woman (his girlfriend) twenty-nine times till she died. Olive decided to go visit Louise who, would have never decide to go there before in her life. But of course she would never go...