Mona Lisa Smile Notes...

Ms. Watson went to Wellesley to be able to make a difference, but she was met with hostility and overachievers who didn’t give her the time of day. They even walk out of her first class. But in her second session, she does something different. She steers away from the board-approved syllabus and brings in some different pictures for the girls to view. The girls are stumped. They’ve never seen the art before, and most of them argue that you can’t even call it art.

They have a much different view of the world, as they are required to go to a class that teaches etiquette, poise, and basically how to be a good housewife. This conflicts with the views of Ms. Watson. She tries to teach them that there is more to life than being a housewife, and just because a woman is married, it doesn’t mean she has to give up on her dreams. The problem here is that, for most of them at least, getting married IS their dream.

Ms. Watson doesn’t only meet resistance from her students, but also from her fellow faculty members. They look down their noses at her, because she is different. They care more about appearances than anything else, while she cares more about the education of her students.

In the end, even though she decided not to stay, it is clear that she made a huge impact in all of her girls’ lives. Even Betty, who was the most resistant and was even cruel to Ms. Watson, saw her off with tears. She may have left, but her memory would remain with those girls forever.