Precious is from a inner city community and being born into this type of background has most definitely shaped and molded her personality into a very defensive person who she slowly moves away from. Being forced to grow in an inner city area is unfortunate for Precious considering that the publically funded institutions are going to be the downfall for many people’s lives around her and even with these unlikely odds, at the end of the book it appears as if she has created a new start for herself and has gotten on her feet and added a purpose to her life.
Her mother is an obese shut in, who, as we know, has physically and sexually abused her own daughter. This unloving character who was almost definitely abused in the same way by her own mother may not know another way to raise a child and this scary pattern could have resulted in a similar fate for Lil Mongo or Abdul, if Precious had not changed her ways.
Her father, who is hardly ever around, except to rape her when he pleases is a terrible influence on Precious, but unfortunately she does not get many other role models until she strays from her standard school and enrolls in the alternate school, Each One Teach One. Because she is not showed attention or much love from anyone, Precious does not know how to be a functioning member of her school and in doing so, characters such as Mrs. Lichtenstein, Ms. Weiss, and Ms. Rain all contribute to her cause and through these efforts, Precious gets a second chance to change her life and her children’s lives. This is very important, too, that Precious finally begins to understand that this is not only about herself, but that she now has children to take care of and that she needs to take her life more seriously. To me this was very impressive to understand at such a young age.
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