In Chapter 13, we find ourselves still in the past. Natalie says the following, “[t]he little girls love me. It’s the older ones who give me trouble” page 102. She then proceeds to try to manipulate Maeve. What do you think this says about Natalie’s character and do you believe she will be successful?
Natalie critiques the clothing that she is presented with in this alternative timeline. Do you think that the views she shared in the first couple of chapters on natural tones and natural materials were all a part of the facade?
Towards the end of the chapter, Natalie finds something in the ground, a piece of plastic. Do you think that Natalie has found herself on the set of a movie or prank meant to throw her off her game? Or is it a part of her delusion fed by her mother’s ability to do it all?
Natalie spirals when Caleb presents her gifts to help her “return to herself”. What do you think this spiraling says about the lack of connection in some relationships? Do you think Natalie pulled herself out of one hole to put herself in another?
Do you think that on the journey to California, Caleb was trying to meet Natalie halfway?
What do you think of what Natalie says here: “Caleb should’ve been born a woman, and I should’ve been born a man” page 134? What does this say about gender roles? Do you think that this is something that Caleb has also realized?
Natalie calls her mother when Clementine is seven months old and asks how her mother managed to do it all. What do you think of her mother’s response?
12 responses to “Yesteryear Day Three”
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1. Natalie struggles when people push back against her, such as older girls who are starting to question her and form their own opinions. She has quite a controlling character. I think she will be successful in manipulating Maeve. Natalie knows all the little girl wants is love and attention, and she’s willing to give that (or feign it) to get what she wants.
2. I don’t think Natalie was lying about liking modern natural fabrics. She’s completely ignorant of the reality of coarse, homespun, handwoven garments vs industrially produced fine linens, though. It’s a perfect example of the way she’s idealized the past while ignoring the reality.
3. Here’s my big brain theory. What if Natalie isn’t the only one who has time traveled? What if that plastic is evidence Producer Shannon has also been thrust back but she evaded Old Caleb and is perhaps successfully in the woods? (Or has already escaped?)
4. Caleb is the most frustratingly clueless human being alive. He and Natalie are living completely different experiences. Giving her a baby carrier to take the baby jogging was the biggest slap in the face, worse because he didn’t even mean it as an insult! This was the wake up moment that Natalie’s life is not going the way she’s deluded herself into thinking it is.
5. No, I don’t think so. I think he was angry with her and trying to assert himself as the head of household. Demanding she ‘tell him’ when she’s angry since he’s so oblivious to their marriage. It was another example of where he’s happy to sit back and let someone else do the emotional work.
6. Such a frustrating moment! I wanted to shake Natalie and assure her, SHE can go to work. She can be the breadwinner. She doesn’t need to be another Amelia, trapped in a house in a role that’s killing her. With the social media gig, she will eventually step into that role. It’s just so depressing that she has to manipulate Caleb, her family, his family, her viewers into thinking she’s a submissive housewife to make the situation acceptable to herself. Hard disagree Caleb would enjoy being a woman. Look at how much is expected of women in his and Natalie’s families. Caleb likes to play with babies, not change diapers.
7. I don’t think it’s a terrible way to motivate yourself to do tasks you dislike; the idea of an unseen supervisor peeking over your shoulder urging you to get things done. Leaning on your faith when you need to is totally fine too. But Natalie internalized the advice in an unhealthy way. Her version of being watched is too judgy and high pressure.
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1. In Chapter 13, we find ourselves still in the past. Natalie says the following, “[t]he little girls love me. It’s the older ones who give me trouble” page 102. She then proceeds to try to manipulate Maeve. What do you think this says about Natalie’s character and do you believe she will be successful?
It’s seems that once the children are old enough to form their own opinions they are able to see through Natalie’s manipulative behaviour and Natalie is aware of this. Once the younger ones get older, they too will start questioning and seeing through her.
2. Natalie critiques the clothing that she is presented with in this alternative timeline. Do you think that the views she shared in the first couple of chapters on natural tones and natural materials were all a part of the facade?
Definitely, it’s all smoke and mirrors. She doesn’t really care about the science and nature of the fabrics etc. It’s just what she wants her followers to see and perceive her to care for.
3. Towards the end of the chapter, Natalie finds something in the ground, a piece of plastic. Do you think that Natalie has found herself on the set of a movie or prank meant to throw her off her game? Or is it a part of her delusion fed by her mother’s ability to do it all?
Definitely not a movie, prank or reality show, but it’s linked to the time travel somehow… just not sure how, why, when???
4. Natalie spirals when Caleb presents her gifts to help her “return to herself”. What do you think this spiraling says about the lack of connection in some relationships? Do you think Natalie pulled herself out of one hole to put herself in another?
When communication is lacking, a relationship can actually be worlds apart despite living in the same home. Natalie spiraling is a result of this lack of understanding between each other.
5. Do you think that on the journey to California, Caleb was trying to meet Natalie halfway?
Not really. I think he is just happy to take a step back and let Natalie make all the decisions.6. What do you think of what Natalie says here: “Caleb should’ve been born a woman, and I should’ve been born a man” page 134? What does this say about gender roles? Do you think that this is something that Caleb has also realized?
I don’t think Caleb really cares about gender roles or other people’s perception of him. He has always had money and the means to do anything, while Natalie hasn’t. Natalie idolises the era where a man must take the lead, be the breadwinner and so badly wants Caleb to play this role.
7. Natalie calls her mother when Clementine is seven months old and asks how her mother managed to do it all. What do you think of her mother’s response?
It’s an interesting piece of advice which Natalie takes too literally. I also don’t think it was the right time to say something like that as it added additional pressure on Natalie to portray being the “perfect Mother” whilst its clear she was already struggling.
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In Chapter 13, we find ourselves still in the past. Natalie says the following, “[t]he little girls love me. It’s the older ones who give me trouble” page 102. She then proceeds to try to manipulate Maeve. What do you think this says about Natalie’s character and do you believe she will be successful? The little ones are easier to control than the older kids and we can see early on in the book that Maeve clearly sees that in her mom. Natalie is a person that need to be in control and has the final say, I think because she can’t control her husband or her kids that he whole world will tumble down and won’t be successful. But maybe she might surprise us.
Natalie critiques the clothing that she is presented with in this alternative timeline. Do you think that the views she shared in the first couple of chapters on natural tones and natural materials were all a part of the facade? – Oh most definitely. I think she likes luxury but it shouldn’t look like luxury. The clothes in her alternative timeline is far below her.
Towards the end of the chapter, Natalie finds something in the ground, a piece of plastic. Do you think that Natalie has found herself on the set of a movie or prank meant to throw her off her game? Or is it a part of her delusion fed by her mother’s ability to do it all? – I think this is quite telling that the alternative timeline is in fact somehow a twilight zone or nightmare that she is experiencing.
Natalie spirals when Caleb presents her gifts to help her “return to herself”. What do you think this spiraling says about the lack of connection in some relationships? Do you think Natalie pulled herself out of one hole to put herself in another? – When she said that Caleb is the dumbest person on the planet, she was not lying. That gifit was absolutely ridiculous and I actually felt bad for Natalie. But also, they haven’t had a real connection from the start, they both had this idea of what marraige is. I think she thought that it might help but in actual fact it turned out worse.
Do you think that on the journey to California, Caleb was trying to meet Natalie halfway? – To me he seemed like a very mad teenager that is throwing a hissyfit.
What do you think of what Natalie says here: “Caleb should’ve been born a woman, and I should’ve been born a man” page 134? What does this say about gender roles? Do you think that this is something that Caleb has also realized? – I don’t think Caleb would even have that thought tbh. Gender roles are so pre-defined that it is expected that the male role is the breadwinner but in this case it the opposite. Natalie is the one that has to worry about everything and also plan for the future.
Natalie calls her mother when Clementine is seven months old and asks how her mother managed to do it all. What do you think of her mother’s response? – I appreciated that her mom was trying to make her feel better, however sometimes you just want someone to tell you the honest truth and support you in your decisions. Telling someone that you are watched every minute of everyday would be such a huge burden to carry.
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1. I think Natalie is someone who will do whatever it takes to either get out of a situation or do whatever to get the best outcome out of it. She knows the older kids can’t be swayed so she takes interest in Maeve who is younger and easier to manipulate. I don’t think she’ll be successful.
2. Yes, now that Natalie doesn’t have the choice to willingly have natural tones and natural materials, she’s realising that didn’t actually prefer it, it’s just what she thought would appeal more to others.
3. I think Natalie is being delusional. Throughout we see Natalie trying to convince herself that she’s on a show and that people are watching her because she’s sort of brainwashed herself with her mom’s advice of ‘pretending that people are watching her’.
4. Caleb and Natalie don’t really work well together and we see this through Caleb’s unhelpfulness. He doesn’t understand Natalie as a person and that’s why every effort he makes comes up to nothing. Caleb is also very clueless which frustrates Natalie even more. Natalie put herself in a hole by marrying someone she didn’t actually know, she only really knew the things that made up Caleb; his beliefs and his status of wealth.
5. No, Caleb is most of the time only thinking about himself.
6. This quote shows how roles shouldn’t be assigned to specific genders. Because Natalie portrays characteristics of an ideal man like taking charge, she feels that she’s playing the role of a man even though she’s just somebody who is more of a leader. While Caleb is somebody who doesn’t mind being led. He’s aware that Natalie wears the pants in the relationship, and he doesn’t seem to pay it no mind otherwise he would’ve tried to “play the role of a man”.
7. I think Natalie’s mother’s response is helpful to an extent but it’s like motivation; it’ll get you started but it doesn’t keep you going. This advice isn’t concrete enough to actually help Natalie. -
1.Natalie thrives on the adoration of the little girls, because young children much like her social media followers from her future accept the reality she presents without questioning it. They don’t look behind the scenes, ultimately I think Natalie’s manipulation of Maeve is a short-term coping mechanism for a woman terrified of losing her grip on the reality shes created.
2. Yes, shes become an untrustworthy narrator of her own story as her life unfolds we see how she got there and how she made very calculated decisions in every aspect of her children’s lives, including their clothing.
3. Shes definitely is some form of warped reality not one created by a studio and its script, but one cteated in her own mind, well thats what I think, one of the girls mentioned in our chats that she might be in labor with her last child and this 1800s life is a manifestation of a life she could have had considering how her mom painted this picture and it stayed with her for so long, so this is a coping mechanism for whats actually happening to her right now.
4. Caleb’s gifts are meant to be a gesture of intimacy from his side, but they actually expose how little he truly knows or understands his wife. Natalie thought that by gaining money, fame, and a massive online following, she was achieving ultimate freedom and power. Instead, she just swapped a hole she didn’t choose for one she meticulously dug herself.
5. I think Caleb does what Caleb wants, I dont think hes trying to compromise with her, I think he heard the words “cowboy” and he ran with that narrative, coz why did he need that huge truck for their drive.
6. This line exposes the hypocrisy of the gender roles Natalie builds her career on. In her public life, she sells a highly monetized fantasy of absolute female submission and dominant, protective male leadership. In reality, the power dynamic in her marriage is entirely reversed.Has Caleb also realized this? Yes, but how he handles that realization is entirely different from Natalie. While Natalie views their dynamic with a sharp, cynical clarity, Caleb deals with it through deep insecurity, resentment, and a desperate search for validation.
7. When Natalie reaches out for genuine comfort or maternal wisdom, expecting a vulnerable truth about the hardships of motherhood, her mother instead shuts down the reality of the struggle. Her mother only knows how to manage appearances and rely on a strict, rigid script, famously berating Natalie at every turn. Ultimately, her mother’s dismissive, performative response is the exact reason Natalie built her own cage. She stops looking for real help and starts building the highly curated, transactional facade of Yesteryear ranch which we’re now reading about, its giving very Ballerina Farms here.
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1. In Chapter 13, we find ourselves still in the past. Natalie says the following, “[t]he little girls love me. It’s the older ones who give me trouble” page 102. She then proceeds to try to manipulate Maeve. What do you think this says about Natalie’s character and do you believe she will be successful?
I think it’s much easier for her to engage with her younger girls. She enjoys that they are naive and she is in control. She’s not good with anyone questioning her or, God forbid, disagreeing. She might have to look inward, and I don’t think she’s prepared to do that.
2. Natalie critiques the clothing that she is presented with in this alternative timeline. Do you think that the views she shared in the first couple of chapters on natural tones and natural materials were all a part of the facade?
I think the neutral tones and luxurious, soft fabrics of the modern world are a far cry from real, rustic, handwoven items. I don’t think she’s a slave to fashion, but she certainly enjoyed modern comfort.
3. Towards the end of the chapter, Natalie finds something in the ground, a piece of plastic. Do you think that Natalie has found herself on the set of a movie or prank meant to throw her off her game? Or is it a part of her delusion fed by her mother’s ability to do it all?
She’s either completely delulu and living in her own mind or some kind of coma perhaps. I don’t think it’s a Truman Show situation at all. Whether the plastic was real or not, I’m not sure.
4. Natalie spirals when Caleb presents her gifts to help her “return to herself”. What do you think this spiraling says about the lack of connection in some relationships? Do you think Natalie pulled herself out of one hole to put herself in another?
Caleb is utterly clueless, and a complete man baby. He has no idea of her desires or needs or how to take care of her. Natalie knows it too. She’s stuck with him, and what a depressing thought that is.
5. Do you think that on the journey to California, Caleb was trying to meet Natalie halfway?
No, I think he was trying to make himself feel better about his inadequacies. He wants to feel important, but he’s so used to being the baby of the family and getting whatever he wants so he has no idea how to step up.
6. What do you think of what Natalie says here: “Caleb should’ve been born a woman, and I should’ve been born a man” page 134? What does this say about gender roles? Do you think that this is something that Caleb has also realized?
In her world, she’s right. She should have been the type of man she knows and understands. But in the real, big wide world she could just be a strong and independent woman. She doesn’t have to stay trapped in her situation. I don’t think Caleb realises much about anything.
7. Natalie calls her mother when Clementine is seven months old and asks how her mother managed to do it all. What do you think of her mother’s response?
I think her mother has just always had to cope. Maybe their father didn’t die, but she was still a single mom abandoned with her two young daughters. I think her advice just adds further pressure, but that’s all she knows.
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1. The younger girls are easier to impress and manipulate than what the older girls are. Since they are younger they don’t question her on what could possibly be wrong and what is right. It shows that Natalie’s first instinct is to manipulate things according to her will.
2. I think the choice in fabrics and clothing is something she is selective about that fits in with her curated image instead of something she is genuinely “passionate” about. It is also a luxury item she has gotten used to without thinking about how it really would have been in a different time. When she is presented with the clothes in the past, she think it is below her.
3. I think it is part of her delusion of wanting to believe that she is part of a prank or a movie set. She refuses to believe that this could actually be her life.
4. The gift and gesture shows how truly disconnected their relationship are. Caleb is completely unaware of her needs, and although the thought of the gift does not come from a bad place, it does come across as tone deaf. She definitely stepped out of one situation just to enter another.
5. I would like to think that it was an attempt to meet her half way, however we are presented with two individuals who are both bad at communicating and speaking their mind. I also think Caleb is happy to take a step back and not take the reins.
6. It is frustrating since Natalie in that present era, were able to do all that of what she expected of her husband. Nothing stopped her completing her studies, starting a career and being the breadwinner. However, she idolises a time where men took action and control. So it seems she wants the best of both worlds, without having to do anything about it. But gender roles is something that I doubt Caleb has given much thought and consideration.
7. It is an interesting way to motivate yourself to do something. However I think in this situation, Natalie took the advice literally. Going back to question 3 where she is presented with a piece of plastic. Her first instinct is that naturally someone HAS to be watching her, what else could it be. -
1. I found it disturbing that Natalie immediately tried to manipulate a little girl. It says a lot about her character that she prefers people who admire her rather than people who challenge her. The older girl sees through her, while Maeve is young enough to trust easily. I don’t think Natalie’s manipulation will work forever because children are often more perceptive than adults give them credit for.
2. I don’t think it was entirely a façade, but I do think Natalie romanticized the aesthetic rather than the reality. It’s easy to admire linen dresses and muted colours when they’re optional and curated. Living with limited choices and practicality is very different from choosing an aesthetic on Instagram. Her complaints suggest she loved the image more than the lifestyle.
3. The piece of plastic made me question everything. Part of me wondered if Natalie had somehow stumbled onto a set or elaborate prank, but another part thinks it could represent how unreliable her perception is. Since her mother’s stories have shaped so much of her worldview, I wonder if Natalie herself is grasping for evidence that fits the reality she wants to believe.
4. Natalie’s spiral says a lot about emotional disconnect. Caleb seems to think he’s helping, but what he offers isn’t what Natalie actually needs.. It made me wonder whether they ever truly knew each other. Sometimes we escape one situation only to recreate the same unhappiness somewhere else. Natalie may have climbed out of one hole only to fall into another.
5. I think Caleb was trying to meet Natalie halfway. His efforts may not have been perfect, but they seemed genuine. The tragedy is that two people can love each other and still struggle to understand one another.
6. Natalie’s comment reflects her frustration with rigid gender roles. She has a very traditional idea of what a husband should be, and Caleb doesn’t fit that image. He’s sweet, nurturing, and devoted to the children, but he doesn’t seem driven to be the provider or leader Natalie wants. I think Caleb knows he isn’t the man Natalie imagined, but he seems more comfortable with who he is than Natalie is. Their resentment comes from wanting each other to fit roles that neither naturally embraces.
7. I found her mother’s response amusing. Natalie asks how she “did it all,” expecting some secret formula, but her mother’s answer reminded me that nobody really does it all. Mothers survive, adapt, sacrifice, and often carry burdens quietly. It made her mother feel more human and showed that even the people we admire most are simply doing the best they can.
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1. Natalie is a manipulator at heart and that does give her somewhat of the life she wants. Would I say it’s success, absolutely not.
2. Everything about Natalie seems to be a facade. She is after all playing pretend.
3. Definitely part of her delusion. She fakes so much and then somewhat forgets that it’s all a lie and is taken aback when those reminders come at her.
4. I honestly wonder how they even decided to get married because it seems to me that they know absolutely nothing about each other.
5. No. Caleb could never. I just thinks he enjoys having other people make the decisions and take responsibility of the outcome.
6. I won’t give Caleb any benefit of the doubt and say he realises anything anise that man is out of it. But this plays out a lot in relationships where people don’t use their strengths in relationships but want to be governed by gender roles.
7. As true as that might have been I think that wasn’t the time at all. In that time she just wanted someone to comfort her and tell her that it gets better.
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1. I think it shows that Natalie is used to being able to influence people, especially younger girls. Maeve seems much harder to control, so I’m not convinced Natalie’s usual tactics will work.
2. Not entirely, but I think she liked the aesthetic more than the reality. It’s easy to romanticize something until you’re actually forced to live with it.
3. At this point, I felt as confused as Natalie. The plastic made me question everything, but it also felt too convenient to simply be a prank.
4. I think it shows how disconnected Natalie and Caleb have become. He thinks he understands what she wants, but he misses what she’s actually feeling. In some ways, I think she traded one version of unhappiness for another.
5. Yes. I don’t think he always gets it right, but it felt like he was genuinely trying to support her and understand what she needed.
6. I think it highlights how restrictive gender expectations can be. Natalie and Caleb don’t neatly fit the roles they’ve assigned themselves, and I suspect Caleb has probably noticed that too.
7. I really liked her mother’s response because it felt honest. It challenged the idea that anyone truly “does it all” and reminded me that even people who seem to have everything together are often struggling behind the scenes.
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1) I think it shows how manipulative she is. The older girls give her trouble because she cant control them as well as she can the younger ones. The older ones see through her whereas the younger ones still think she is the most amazing person to walk this earth. I think she can successfully use that to her advantage, yes.
2) Yes. I think it was all to keep up with her image. She wanted to emulate the olden days but not actually experience it.
3) I think shes being delusional and there must be some kind of explanation for the plastic. Maybe she even imagined it.
4) I think Caleb was being completely tone deaf here. He “means well” but he always misses the mark. He doesnt realise that he is not pulling his weight and those gifts were more of an insult than anything else. I mean why would she go jogging with the baby???
5) I think he just went along with everything because that meant he had to put in less work.
6) I think it shows the roles in their marriage. Natalie is always the one coming up with ideas, trying to keep them afloat, and he’s dilly dallying, hardly making an effort. He comes up with random career ideas and doesn’t even really try at all to make something of himself. He is happier to stay at home than to be the provider
7) I don’t think it was bad advice but I feel like Natalie made it her entire life’s focus from that point onwards. She really took that piece of advice to heart and ran with it. So much so that one can’t even tell what’s real in her life anymore.
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1.She feels one way but behaves exactly the way she doesn’t like someone treating her. So no I do not think she will be successful as shes lying to herself.
2.Of course! The more you see what she does or says the more you realise that half of what Natalie does is a facade. It is however, due to the fact of what shes been told on how to behave and carry oneself. I think in her mind, she thinks that she is above everyone else. Or thats the easiest thing to think to help her keep up with the facade.
3.I am quite stumped with this as I do not know what to believe. One moment I think it could be a movie set and the next I think that there is something wrong with Natalie and that she is just being delusional. I am curious to see what happens.
4.The spiralling shows us that she isn’t quite happy in this relationship even though she somehow convinced herself that this is what she wanted. Caleb and Natalie seem to have got married in a whirlwind and as a result do not really know each other all that well. So yes, I do think that Natalie went from one hole to another but probably one that is 10x worse than the previous hole.
5.Caleb always seems as if he is in his own world and clearly hasn’t grown up however, the interaction between him and Natalie on this journery does show us that perhaps he was trying to meet Natalie halfway. He seems as if he also doesn’t know what he wants of his life, and goes with whatever he is told to do and in some way Natalie is very much the same even though she doesn’t see it. I do think Caleb was trying to see where Natalie stands and what she might truly want, in his very round about manner.
6.It says SO much about gender roles! And absolutely does Caleb realise this. It goes to show that roles can be reversed and that there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. Natalie does not seem to enjoy being a trad wife nor does she seem very maternal. Whereas we are told that Caleb enjoys spending time playing with Clementine and seems to have no interest in working. It is quite frustrating to see that they both enjoy doing opposite things but can’t voice it outloud or even to each other.
7.Very very odd! Her mother obviously did not manage very well and had to find a coping mechanism which turned into something very unhealthy. There’s nothing wrong with a little pretending but to pretend your whole life that you are happy can be quite exhausting I imagine.
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