Tough Love

In Tara Westover’s brilliant memoir, Educated, she relives her childhood in Buck’s peak, Idaho, growing up under the control of her strict yet loving Mormon father, who refused to allow his numerous children to attend public school and now patiently waits for the end of times. Westover’s father shows love a little differently but, in his mind, has nothing but good intentions for her.

When dealing with her father, Tara knew the morals and ideas he had drilled into her head from an early age. When she was faced with worldly problems, she knew the appropriate response, and obeyed her father, even if she initially felt otherwise.

When Tara’s father brought home the Shear, everyone was either hurt by it or refused to operate it. Tara’s father, being the stubborn, work-driven man he is, demanded Tara to run the Shear. Initially, she resists, but is ultimately pulled to the metal deathtrap by her loyalty and allegiance to her father, despite her better judgement. Her father justifies his actions by saying on page 140 in Chapter 15, “She’s made of strong stuff” despite Tara being merely sixteen years old, and he recklessly rants about ownership of his crew. Her father’s work-forward demeaner and choice of words demands to be obeyed, leading to her acceptance of her father’s will for her.

Later in her memoir, Tara is ‘going out’ with a young man named Charles who the whole town knows, and he is a bit preppy. One night after spending time with Charles, she begins to examine herself in the mirror, particularly her apparel. She soon drives to the nearest Walmart, on page 171 of Chapter 19, and buys a pair of women’s jeans and two blue shirts. Upon trying them on she felt immodest, yet she says that she knew the clothes weren’t. Tara — so deeply devoted to her father’s preached opinions — was not even familiar with the natural curve of her own body in standard women’s clothing.

The constant theme is Tara’s dedication to her father and her home. She always has and feels like she always will belong to Buck’s peak, so to act like she can drop her roots would be treason. Deep down, she trusts his opinions and continues to follow them for she knows that he’s trying to do what he thinks is best, maybe not always best for her, but will help or please someone else, even if its only himself. In some ways, her father has attached emotional strings to her which make her behave in this way, much like his own personal puppet. Though he doesn’t have all the strings and can’t control all of her movements, he has Tara dancing to the rhythm of the life he wants her to live.

Work Cited

Westover, Tara. Educated. Random, 2018.