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Charms for the Easy Life Essay A Leader by Nature In the world today leaders are not predominantly people who possess political power, but more often people who have influence or leadership qualities that help change the quality of life for others around them. The most common dictionary definition of leader states that a leader is, “a guiding or directing head.” They are people who are well respected by their peers and family. Leaders most often follow their “gut-instinct” to go out into the world and change something or work to help others in some way. Leaders have a strong sense of righteousness and a hunger to change things that are unjust. Charlie Kate’s personality in the novel Charms for the Easy Life, by Kaye Gibbons is much like that of a leader. The novel portrays three generations of women. Charlie Kate guides her daughter Sophia and granddaughter Margaret and is an unwavering, “self-proclaimed” doctor. Charlie Kate does not sit around waiting for things to change, but instead goes out to change them herself. This is a definite sign of a leader. Charlie Kate strives to give valuable direction to those not only within her family but those within her society as well. Charlie Kate is turned to for her guidance and advice within her family unit. For instance, Charlie Kate carries the responsibility of offering guidance to Margaret because Margaret’s mother, Sophia is not able to offer Margaret much parenting, because she herself cannot deal with her own problems. When Sophia is pressuring Margaret about choosing a college, Margaret is worried that she’ll become a spinster, but Charlie Kate reassures her when she says, “You’ll find your one-in-a-million, but you’re sharp enough to know there’s no point in sludging through the first nine-hundred ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred ninety-nine to get to him” (Gibbons 136-137).
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