Witchcraft for Wayward Girls

Neva and her father are in the car. Her father is furious with her because she is pregnant at age 15. The father of her baby is Guy, a 17-year-old boy from her high school. Although he hadn’t introduced her to his friends, he had taken her on a few dates. She hadn’t been sure that she wanted to have sex with him, but they ended up having sex anyway, and she didn’t enjoy it. She tried to keep the pregnancy a secret for as long as possible, but when her parents finally found out, they sent her to her aunt Peggy’s. There was so little to do there, and Neva didn’t have any money of her own, so she stole a few paperback novels from the drugstore. Peggy found out about the theft and called her father, and here they are. At first, she assumes that she is being taken back home, but as they cross the state line into Florida, Neva realizes that something is very wrong. Her father tells her that he is taking her to a maternity home for unwed girls. She is horrified because she has heard about these institutions from her Catholic friends. They are not happy places, and she does not want to go.

They arrive at the home for unwed mothers. It is a large, plantation-style home that reminds Neva of Gone with the Wind, although she reflects that the building has seen better days. Her father takes her inside. While he is speaking to Miss Wellwood and Mrs. Deckle, the women in charge, Neva gets a tour from one of the other girls, Rose. She also meets Myrtle, Hazel, and Briony. When she learns that none of the girls use their real names, she realizes that she, too, will be renamed. Neva is overwhelmed and sweats profusely in the heat. Other than the administrative offices, the house’s rooms are not air-conditioned. She learns that the girls are interested in horoscopes. Everyone asks her astrological sign and rolls their eyes when they learn that she is a Virgo. Rose is loud and brash, while Hazel strikes Neva as a bookworm. Her father leaves without saying goodbye. She wants to go home.

Miss Wellwood summons Neva to her office. She is not kind, and Neva feels a rising sense of despair. The blistering heat is excruciating, and she feels particularly ugly in this orderly room full of expensive furniture. Miss Wellwood tells Neva that she must follow the rules and that if she does so, she will eventually be able to give birth, present her child to a “deserving” family, and put this experience behind her. Miss Wellwood states that Neva is here at the home for unwed mothers because she is sinful. She accuses Neva of acting like a “barnyard animal” and wantonly giving up “the gift” of her virginity. Neva wants to cry. Miss Wellwood then tells her that none of the girls use their real names; here, Neva will go by Fern. Miss Wellwood sends her to her room, where Neva discovers that Rose is her roommate.

Neva, now going by the name of Fern, gathers with the other girls and Miss Wellwood for dinner. Rose is sent back to their room for “talking back.” She is interested in social justice and women’s liberation, and Miss Wellwood explains that she does not want that kind of unpleasantness at her dinner table. The girls’ talk of astrology is met with similar pushback. Fern feels lost. She learns that the girls will no longer be allowed to have salt in their food, as this might be bad for their babies. After dinner, they all meet in the congregation room to watch television together. Fern tries to join in the conversation, but the girls call her a “nut” for being so interested in Patty Duke. At lights out, Fern meets Holly, their third roommate. Holly does not speak. Rose explains that Holly never speaks. Fern finds Rose rude and Holly frustrating and cries herself to sleep.

Fern wakes up to the noise of a loud bell. The girls all march down to breakfast together. Fern finds herself unable to stomach most of the food because she is still upset and feels out of place. After breakfast, she is taken to see Dr. Vincent. Like Miss Wellwood, he is openly judgmental of her “condition,” and she quickly finds herself on the brink of tears. The examination pushes her over the edge. Her pediatrician had never done a pelvic exam; this is her first. Afterward, feeling traumatized, she is told that she must meet with Miss Keller, the social worker. Miss Keller, who says that she goes by Diane, is kinder. Initially, she claims that her job is to help Fern make the best choice, but she very quickly begins pushing the idea of “surrender,” or giving the baby up for adoption. Diane makes this option sound so appealing that Fern signs away her parental rights on the spot.

Fern soon realizes that her days will be filled with work. Miss Wellwood believes that the girls’ “lazy minds” need discipline and that they should learn the housekeeping skills that will one day make them good wives. Meals are nutritious but unappetizing. Each day, the girls are required to sit through lectures on ladylike behavior, morality, and other topics that Miss Wellwood deems appropriate. Fern is surprised by how quickly she begins to feel cut off from the world. The girls are dimly aware of the Vietnam War, anti-war protests, and the general climate of unrest in the country, but they are not allowed to leave the property and rarely watch the news. Fern gets to know everyone, although many of the girls seem to blend together in her mind. Holly continues her campaign of silence and refuses to bathe. Rose babbles constantly about American imperialism and injustice. She tells the others that she plans to keep her baby, name her Blossom, and raise her alone in a commune.

Dr. Vincent and Nurse Kent also give lectures on childbirth. They claim that the experience will not be painful, but the girls are dubious. As the tedious daily routine continues, Fern finds herself becoming increasingly irritated with Rose. Rose is unpopular with all of the girls, but Fern has the added frustration of having her as a roommate. One day, Myrtle accuses Rose of stealing her candy bars, and Rose responds that ownership is itself theft because property is immoral. Everyone takes this as an admission of guilt, but Rose will not admit to the theft outright. Later, Fern discovers that Holly stole the candy bars. When Holly shares them with her, Fern finally feels as though the two are bonding. When Rose’s cigarettes turn up missing, she is upset, and everyone finds her hypocrisy hilarious. One day, Myrtle loses her pregnancy in one of the home’s bathrooms and disappears to the hospital. Fern is terrified that birth will be painful and possibly dangerous. She realizes that the adults have been lying to the girls, and she feels hopelessly alone.

Life goes on after Myrtle leaves. The girls eat, work, and watch television according to their set schedule. One day, Fern arrives at the table to find a foul-smelling glass by her plate. She learns that it is liver mixed with milk: an iron supplement prescribed by Dr. Vincent. Its stench makes her stomach turn, and she refuses to drink it. Miss Wellwood forces her to sit at the table until she finishes it, but she cannot bring herself to drink it. Eventually, Rose comes in, drinks the contents of the glass, and exclaims, “Solidarity!” before running back out. Fern is touched. Not long after that incident, a new girl, Zinnia, arrives. Zinnia is well-dressed and looks tired. She immediately vomits. The girls take particular interest in her because unlike them, Zinnia is Black. When Miss Wellwood tries to give Zinnia a tiny attic room (saying that all of the other bedrooms are full), Rose protests, noting how hot the attic is and calling this assignment “segregation.” Rose decides to take the attic. She moves out of Fern’s room, and Zinnia moves in. Zinnia immediately mentions the book Rosemary’s Baby, which Fern read and enjoyed. Fern wonders if she and Zinnia might become friends.