ISA & MAY
Isamay, looking at 30, is struggling to focus on her thesis, and no wonder. . . the vast subject is grandmothers in history. She has landed on a few significant figures, including Elizabeth Fry, George Sand, Sarah Bernhardt, and Queen Victoria and has several questions that she chews over: such as how do grandmothers view their roles? She's looking for links, consequences, direct connections between grandmothers and their grandchildren. Isamay's research, so far, draws no solid conclusion. Some grandmothers are figures of authority while others see being a grandmother as a chance to do over motherhood. Some just enjoy it. It's clear that Isamay's thesis is unmanageable and her unsatisfying meetings with her advisor Claudia, usually don't go well. Claudia, however, doesn't dismiss Isamay's project completely, and tries to add direction. But at the heart of Isamay's thesis is her desire to understand her own grandmothers: Isa and May. They are two very different women.