Lives of Girls and Women

Content Warning: The source text contains references to murder, death by suicide and suicidal ideation, and sexual abuse, including sexual interactions between an adult and a young teenager. The source text also includes outdated and offensive language surrounding race and mental health conditions that are reproduced only via quotations.

Del Jordan, a young girl entering the fourth grade, spends her time with her brother, Owen, at the home of their neighbor, Uncle Benny, who Del quickly points out “was not [their] uncle, or anybody’s” (3). He works for their father and has become a family friend. Growing up in the small town of Jubilee along the Wawanash River, Del’s family lives on a silver fox farm, where her father breeds foxes for their fur. They live at the end of the Flats Road along with other working-class families. During summer break, Del and Owen spend their time exploring the nearby river, catching frogs and other animals. She also reads Uncle Benny’s obscure newspaper, which has headlines such as “FATHER FEEDS TWIN DAUGHTERS TO HOGS” and “WOMAN GIVES BIRTH TO HUMAN MONKEY” (7). Owen and Del spend much time of their summer at Uncle Benny’s house, which houses clutter and junk Benny finds.

As Del explores the land around her family’s farm, she describes the Flats Road as being at the edge of Jubilee, where the houses are “more neglected, poor, and eccentric” than those closer to town (8). She focuses on landmarks around her home, such as Charles Buckles’s store, which serves as the cutoff between the end of town and the Flats Road; her home, including her family’s farm, sits on nine acres at the end of the road. Del describes her other neighbors, such as the old bootlegger, Mitch Plim, and his wife—a former sex worker—as well as the neighborhood cats, known for terrorizing anyone walking past their homes.

Del’s mother, Ada, dislikes her family’s social status and condemns her neighbors for behaving with “drunkenness” or “sexual looseness” (11). However, Del points out that both her parents allow Uncle Benny into their home. He comes over every day except Sundays for lunch, despite his peculiar behaviors. During one lunch, Del’s father mentions to Benny that a wife may be useful to have around, so Benny answers an advertisement in a local newspaper from a young woman with a baby looking for a job as an in-house maid with the implication that she is willing to marry as well. After Del writes a letter for Uncle Benny to display his interest in the woman, Benny travels to Toronto to determine if he would like to marry her; however, when he arrives, her family has already planned a wedding. Uncle Benny brings his new wife, Madeleine, and her baby daughter, Diane, back to the Flats Road.

Del soon discovers that Madeleine is not only abusive and easily angered but is also only 17 years old. Madeleine does not allow Del or Owen to come back to Uncle Benny’s house, and she earns a reputation for being a “madwoman.” Madeline eventually leaves Uncle Benny, and he reveals that she hurts Diane. After Madeline sends a letter to Benny requesting some of her belongings, Benny attempts to locate Madeleine and Dianne by going to Toronto. However, he gets lost and comes back home without his wife.

As time goes on, Del’s mother remarks that Uncle Benny is untrustworthy and that Del’s parents cannot believe Madeleine was actually abusive to him or her daughter; Madeleine becomes a memory of the past.