In the short story "Lilies" by Joan London, the reader is introduced to the character of Christine Hollins who is returning back home to her family after seven years. Her relationship with her family is very distant and the purpose of her return was to bring her family closer and to play the role of a missionary.
It is evident in the text that conflicts exists between Christine and her parents " . she was going to talk properly, with her mother." She feels that she is almost unrecognizable to her parents when " . she felt that she was another person approaching them." She believes that her return was like " . stepping out of the air into a cage.".
Her unwelcoming return was further influenced by where her parents were staying. Their lifestyles have changed over the years and they are now living in a retirement home with " . Tiny living room, bright sunlight from the economy sized windows and the scrappy rugs and faded chains.".
When Helen is introduced into the story we are given the impression of the unsupportive and uncaring character that she possesses. Her first address to her sister, Christine, was not the usual welcoming statement such as "How was the journey?" but rather the degrading sentence "You've put on weight." Her words caused Christine's self-esteem to shrink and this made her believe that the clothing that she was wearing was the cause of her sister's choice of words. However, this was not the case as it was Helens dominant character that gave Christine " . The same sense of being heavy and overdone that her sister had always given her." .
It is interesting to note that the name "Christine" has similar wording to that of the religion "Christian". This allows the reader to see Christine as the symbol of peace and love that the Christian religion promotes. She is seen as the only person in the family that understands about love and emotions. A family where the father is a priest, should model almost perfect communication.