Confessions of a Closet Catholic, I thought was a great book to use to show how people, not matter what age they are, can question their religion and their beliefs. I was amazed at how Jussy who is only 11 years old, was able to think so deeply about her religious background and wonder if this is the religion she wants to follow. I know that when I was that age and even today, I never questioned my own religion. I am a Catholic and grew up with strict Catholic parents, going to church every Sunday and have the beliefs of a Catholic. I don't think it ever crossed my mind to want to be of a different religion. This is why I was shocked that Jussy was so incredibly concerned with which religion she was going to follow. I also thought it was strange that she actually studied the different rituals of a Catholic and practiced those rituals secretively in her own closet.
I was also shocked about this because of her relationship with her grandmother,Bubbe. Since her and Bubbe have such a close relationship, I would have thought she wouldn't want to do anything that would offend Bubbe and that could possibly ruin their relationship. She knew everything Bubbe had been through growing up and how important it was to her to be Jewish, so why would Jussy even start questioning that. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that her parents aren't very committed in their Jewish religion while her Catholic friends are very committed to be Catholic. So maybe she's thinking that being Catholic is better than being Jewish, which has made her want to convert.
I really enjoyed reading this book and can definitely see myself using it in my own classroom. I think this book helps to show how everyone can have their own individual beliefs and even though their parents might not agree with them right away, they will always find a way to try to understand them as best as they can and will always support them. This was what happened with Jussy, and her parents found a way to understand her and relate to her the best they could.
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I would say that I was also very shocked when Jussy decided she no longer wanted to be Jewish when she was so close with Bubbe,who was very religious, and Jussy respected that. I agree with you too that her parents had some kind of influence on Jussy wanting to have a different religion, because they were not very committed to theirs. However, I also thought of other possibilities, such as Jussy's insecurities on how she sees herself in relation to her religion and another about her identity/self image. First, Jussy shows little confidence when she states, “Christmas Day [can] feel pretty lonely for anyone who’s Jewish, even tall, blond, thin Jews like Helena” (27). With this quote, Jussy first speaks on behalf of all people of the Jewish religion that they feel lost when Catholics are celebrating their holiday, while also showing her insecurities of her body image compared to other Jewish girls. So this triggered ideas about the relation between uncertainties of religion and self, which may correspond to identity. Another issue Jussy faces is her self-image and her identity. On page 67 she says, “I’m sick of the way the women in my family – well, except for Bubbe- nag me about my weight. It’s like they think it’s the defining part of me.” This shows that people, even Jussy’s family, identify her as a girl who is overweight. With this, readers can still ask what she means by this quote to help them answer the question of identity being an influence on her uncertainties about her religion.
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