She had an abortion. His daughter is taken away from him. She divorced Carter. His mother was killed or committed suicide on the road. She participated in BZ's suicide but did not help him. His career is about to collapse, if it hasn't already. She is in the psychiatric hospital. Maria lost everything. As Tyler Durden from the movie Fight Club says: “Only after we have lost everything are we free to do anything (Fight Club QUOTE). Maria is able to take control of her life because she no longer owes anyone anything. A good example of hitting rock bottom and coming back is the success story of JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series. She recalls: "An exceptionally short-lived marriage had imploded and I was unemployed, a single parent and as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, short of being homeless... By all usual standards, I was the biggest failure. I knew" (Gillett). Yet she continued to write Harry Potter and pursue her dream and eventually became the most successful writer of the modern era. She was focused on her goals. She is a great example for Maria to follow “Besides being a good mother, her (JK Rowling) goal was to get Harry Potter published. That’s all” (Roberston). Maria's two goals could be to rebuild her life and to have Kate