The Marrow of Tradition

Olivia Carteret (née Merkell) goes into early labor due to a bout of hysterics. Dr. Price chides her nursemaid, Mammy Jane, for taking poor care of her, but Mammy Jane notes that she nursed Olivia and her mother before her, and can be relied on to do the same for the family now. In order to explain Olivia’s hysterical state, Mammy Jane discusses the family history between the Carterets and the Millers. After the death of her mother, Olivia was raised by her Aunt Polly (Mrs. Ochiltree). Olivia’s father, Samuel, took up with a black servant, Julia, whom he impregnated. Janet Miller, the result of this union and Olivia’s half-sister, now lives with her husband, Dr. Miller, in the former Carteret mansion. The Carterets lost their money in the war, and although the Major now has a successful newspaper—the Morning Chronicle—he resents the presence of a black family in his lost ancestral home. Janet and Dr. Miller have a son who favors the Merkell family. Before Olivia’s pregnancy, the sight of Janet’s son upset her because she was childless. During her difficult pregnancy, the sight of Janet’s son makes her fear that she will not live through her labor and delivery.