Esch and The Gold Parka - Henry Mandell

"Is this what Medea saw, when she decided to follow Jason, to flee her father with her brother? Did she see through her father's rich robes to the small shouldered man beneath?" (61)

This passage is important because it reveals how Esch feels about her father. In The Quest for the Golden Fleece, Medea sees the unnecessary and excessive cruelty her father shows to Jason and his Argonauts and stops pledging herself to him (she is also a play-thing of the Gods which influences her decision). Esch compares this to the way that her father treats Skeet, her other brothers and her. Generally, when we are children, we see our parents as perfect beings who make no mistakes and know everything. However, as time goes on, we start to see the faults and breaks in our parents personalities, they no longer seem so perfect. I believe this change is starting to manifest due to her describing Medea's father and her father as small shouldered men beneath rich robes. This allusion is important because as a reader we can see the lack of a healthy relationship, respect and devotion between Esch (and her brothers) and Daddy. 

Medea: 
This art (By Michael Caudo of The School of Visual Arts) depicts a woman patching up or helping a faceless man. This relates to Medea because to Jason, she was a servant or assistant rather than a real love interest. Medea spent all of her time trying to help Jason survive or accomplish his goals, not realizing Jason wouldn't have made the same sacrifices for her. 




Esch by the end of the Novel: 
Although a little gruesome, this picture describes Esch at the end of the novel. First, the woman (An Italian woman named Artemesia Gentileschi) is killing a man who sexually assaulted her. It could be argued that Esch metaphoically killed off Manny after he betrayed her at the end of the book.