Defending Jacob 1

I saw a major change in Laurie, or Mrs. Barber throughout the book Defending Jacob. In the beginning she is described as being a "shoulder to lean on for the other mothers" and the one who stays strong through everything. However, when she herself is put into the position where it seems as if all the pressure in the world is on her, she breaks down. She shuts herself of from her son, her husband and the rest of the community. She becomes more and more like Andy Barber in the sense that she holds all of her feelings in and does not open up to anyone. She becomes very frail and weak and the trial in a sense kills her. Even after the trial Laurie is unable to return to her normal life which included being a school teacher and surrounding herself with the ladies in her community. Overall the trial took a negative toll on Laurie herself and the entire Barber family.