“She couldn’t stand the shame” (Brennert 128).
Dorothy
was a person for whom self respect was everything. After the society knew that
Rachel was infected with leprosy, they started treating her and her family so poorly.
Dorothy and her family got so much abhorrence from the society. Instead of hearing
comforting words from the society, they got taunts. They called them the “Dirty Family”, and they didn’t want to be around them. Dorothy was alone and her home was broken
after Rachel left. Dorothy could not stand all this hatred. Therefore, even
though she loved Rachel, she left.
Her main reason for abandoning Rachel was her pride. It is so heartbreaking to see a mother abandon her child especially when the child need more love. However, if we put ourselves in Dorothy's shoe then i think what she did was right. Image is a large part of society. This disease carried such a shame and heavy stigma that it must have been such a burden for her to carry. I think her taking her other children and hiding was her way of trying to "make up" for what happened to her daughter. Maybe Dorothy thought that she had lost already one child and doesn’t want to lose another child. This is how I imagine her thought process might have worked. It is not that Dorothy wanted to abandon Rachel. She was forced to abandon her. She would have survived in that broken home if she got love, care and respect from the society. Dorothy is not to blame for her actions, the society is. So, I think what Dorothy did was right from her point of view.
Her main reason for abandoning Rachel was her pride. It is so heartbreaking to see a mother abandon her child especially when the child need more love. However, if we put ourselves in Dorothy's shoe then i think what she did was right. Image is a large part of society. This disease carried such a shame and heavy stigma that it must have been such a burden for her to carry. I think her taking her other children and hiding was her way of trying to "make up" for what happened to her daughter. Maybe Dorothy thought that she had lost already one child and doesn’t want to lose another child. This is how I imagine her thought process might have worked. It is not that Dorothy wanted to abandon Rachel. She was forced to abandon her. She would have survived in that broken home if she got love, care and respect from the society. Dorothy is not to blame for her actions, the society is. So, I think what Dorothy did was right from her point of view.
