1922 is a time of change. Hairstyles along with hemlines are
getting shorter, and women are leaving their corsets for the simplicity of brassieres,
slips and underwear. All this change is knocking at the door of Wichita’s
housewives, who out of expectation and maybe even habit are adverse to these
changes. Speak of prohibition and they can tell you how drink causes families
to fall apart. When birth control makes the shelves of the local drug store in
the mid 1930's it is still immoral even though families are struggling to
survive the dust-bowl.
Cora is one of the housewives that behave by the rules of
Kansas society. Though, less can be said of her 15 year old charge Louise
Brooks. Traveling by train, they accompany each other to New York City, where
Louise is to attend Denishawn School of Dance and Cora plans to confront her
past. The trip isn't easy for either, as they push each other’s boundaries,
which causes Cora to doubt her provincial attitude as she comes closer to
discovering her identity.
As an orphan, Cora rode the Orphan Train from NYC to Kansas,
where orphans like her were paraded for potential families to adopt. Although
she was adopted by a kind family, married a lawyer who provided her with a
family and name, Cora struggled with her sense of abandonment. She needed to
find who her parents were.
I wish I could say that Cora’s journey ends with her finding
closure and happiness, but that is only partly true. The story of Cora’s
identity is driven by over the top, shocking plot twists. With each layer of
the story, there is an element of surprise that causes controversy and shock
value. I found it ridiculous that all these experiences happened to Cora, while
everyone else in the novel seems to be unaffected by the changing world (I can’t
say more without giving away major plot spoilers).
I can say that the tolerance shown in the novel is a
redeeming quality. As Cora’s character grows, she demonstrates a great amount
of tolerance even for things she doesn't always understand. Leaving behind her
small town convictions is part of how Cora is able to finally break away from
Kansas society values and create some of her own.
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