Joan, I read this post last night, thought about it off and on today and if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a question or two and share my own thoughts.
First, do you know what happened to your Sally's child or grandchild? Do you think you might find her perspective on Sally and her life interesting?
Next, I note that that .. no-good wandering . . Sim, her syphilitic man . . .speechless and blind yet who still beat her was certainly a villainous character. But I wonder if being broken by overwork. . .her services . . no longer needed . . . not a penny to her name, no pension, no monetary "separation package", nothing might have engendered at least some of her despair. A villain Sim undoubtedly was and he was probably exactly as he appears to be. But could the word convenient be applied to him, I wonder?
And it was certainly a convenient end for Sally, too. No need to evict when her services were no longer needed, no need to feel responsible for her condition, no cost, no loss of anything anyone valued. The perfect servant - serves, ends up with nothing, isn't a burden, financial or moral, provides a villain to blame for her misery, then eliminates herself and her remaining dependent, and even burns down her shack. Almost the too-perfect servant. Are you sure this is exactly the way everything happened?
I have no desire to be insulting to you or yours. My wonderings may well be completely off base.
Bruce |
