Half Broke Horses themed essay

Deceit, death, and discipline; all of the characteristics listed are lessons taught to Lily Casey. In the novel Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls, Lily Casey met many characters throughout her lifetime. Many people throughout the novel had an impact on Lily and taught her something about life. Lily took lessons from each of these characters and applied what she learned throughout her difficult and strenuous life. Through people such as Helen Casey, Ted Conover, and Adam Casey, Lily was able to learn many life lessons in order to become a successful person later in life. Lily’s first marriage to Ted Conover began almost on a whim and ended in an annulment. When Lily moved to Chicago, she was approached by many men. However, Lily was instantly attracted to Ted and his smooth talking. The two spend much time together before Ted asks Lily to marry him. Their marriage is successful initially, with Ted going away for many days due to “business.” They share a bank account that the both of them can draw on. However, one day, after Lily is struck by a car, she finds out at the hospital that Ted is already married to another woman. Lily follows Ted and even meets the woman and finds out that they already have children. Lily confronts Ted about it and has the marriage annulled. Lily is on her own again in Chicago, and to make matters worse, she finds out that Ted has taken almost all of the money in her bank account. Through this experience, Lily learns never to trust anyone as easily as she did with Ted. She calls herself foolish and decides to become very independent. She decides to become more focused on getting a job as stated, “I focused on the future… I obviously couldn’t count on a man to take care of me, what I needed more than ever was a profession” (Walls, 85). Through the deceit of her first husband Ted, Lily learns to become more individualistic and hard-working in order to earn what she wanted. Helen, Lily’s younger sister, also taught

Cited: Walls, Jeannette. Half Broke Horses. New York: Scribner, 2009. Print