Lucy in the painting

I am intrigued by the over art for Lucy. I find the painting with the women looking away from the audience with an animal of sorts at her side, truly unique and very representative of Lucy. The woman crosses one arm over her stomach which shows Lucy’s insecurities and distance from others. Lucy judges others in the museum so she will not be judged as an outsider herself. However, she is in fact an outsider to Mariah’s world. Her customs and appearance differ from those of the “yellow haired people.” Lucy’s past and current experiences with men also present a feeling of insecurity to me. Although, Lucy and Peggy try to find new men all the time, Lucy has had so many relationships that have failed because of Lucy. As a result, it is hard to imagine she is overly confident in her relationships even when she is scouting out men with Peggy. Lucy’s conflict with her strength and insecurities is also represented by the placement of the other arm of the women on the cover. The second arm is up and strongly gestured away from the “monkey” next to her. This clearly shows Lucy personal strength in relation to others around her. Even the size of the woman in the painting compared to the animal next to, further empowers the women. Therefore the painting represents Lucy’s inner insecurities by the hand coving her body; and represents the judgmental strength is posses by the hand that is raised.


One other interesting feature of the painting is the animal next to the women. The eyes are visible but clearly not focused on the women standing beside him. It is if the animal is fake and merely a toy. On the other the monkey appears not influenced by the women towering over him. This is similar to the yellow haired society that Lucy is placed in. Lucy may play an important role in the lives of the people, but the society could go on without meeting her and their lives could be the same.