This weeks class we got the opportunity to choose between three epistolary short stories written by Emma Donoghue. I personally chose to read the short story called “The Gift”. This story was inspired by letters to a New York adoption agency from the birth mother of infant, Lily May Bell.

This story is about letters written in 1877 from Sarah Bell, a widowed mother. Her writing reflects the terrible desperation she went through to give up her infant daughter, Lily May Bell, to the New York Children’s Aid Society.

Reading from Sarah’s perspective while undergoing feelings of stress, guilt and hope made it feel like I was stepping into her shoes. Imagine being in her position, she lost her husband when her daughter was only 3 months old. On top of that, she was left in a society that didn’t make space for single mothers, especially ones with infants.

Sarah tries to provide for her child, but the world around her offers little help. “She writes, I cannot supply her needs tho’ not for want of trying”, and you can feel her frustration. No matter what she does, no one takes her and Lily in. Employers make it clear, “no one will have me and her too, some say they would if she was 2 or 3 years old”, as if the age of her baby determined her worth as a worker and as a mother.

Her decision to turn to the New York Children’s Aid Society was not made lightly, as it was Sarah’s last resort to do what was best for her child. This specific quote about her decision shows just how much she cared for Lily:

“I have taken Lily May out and can see no way except to throw myself on the mercy of your famous New York Society. Be kind to her for God’s sake. You must not think that I neglected her. Do not be afraid of her face, it is nothing but an old ringworm. I will try hard to relieve you of her care as soon as ever can be”.

Sarah’s letters show the struggles that single mothers had to face during this time. I cannot help but question how Sarah and Lily’s situation could have differed if they lived in a modern time period.