In the television show, “Clare Means a lot of things,” it is evident that Nationality plays an important role in the partnership between Clare and her mother, Beth. Nationality has several meanings. In one instance, Nationality was defined as the physical appearance of an individual, i.e. whether or not he had brown eyes. In another instance, Nationality was used to describe the character’s interest in history and other subjects.
In discussing how Nationality influenced the nature of their relationship, Clare said that Nationality was like a stagecoach that came and took her mother on a ride through a tunnel. They had different points of view, and when one point of view became more predominant than the others, Nationality forced them to have a frank and open conversation. As Clare grew up, she began to see her mother’s viewpoint as being very distorted, and began searching for answers to her questions.
The show ended with Clare realizing that her mother was indeed right about much of what she had been saying all along, and that Nationality really wasn’t all that important at all. Her newly found awareness of Nationality’s importance helped her learn more about herself and put her marriage and personality into a new context. This insight was vital to her future happiness and success. Once Clare’s marriage to John ended, she remained happy and continued on with her life, honing her skills as a writer, participating in community service, and pursuing other meaningful activities.