A Woman of Independent Means (52 page)

November 23, 1967
Dallas

Dearest Totsie and Dwight,

My suitcase was packed for a morning flight to Los Angeles when the call came that Sam had died peacefully in his sleep. I had seen him in the afternoon and told him good night by telephone and I am so grateful I was here. I canceled my reservations and very much doubt now that I will ever leave Dallas again.

I look around at how few of my friends are left. We are like the survivors of some terrible storm. The quality of life can no longer concern us. For the moment it is enough just to exist. And so we must go about the business of burying our dead and try not to think beyond the simple tasks that each day presents.

When I called Betsy to tell her about Sam, she told me the news she had been saving for my visit to California: another great-grandchild is on the way. So how can I despair when my announcement of death is met with the promise of new life? It is extremely dangerous to fly during the early months of pregnancy so I insisted she stay safely in Los Angeles and not consider coming home for the funeral.

I am very tired. I look at the suitcases standing empty beside my closet and wonder how I could have contemplated such a long trip.

It is getting late now. I will eat dinner and then I must not forget to call Sam—

November 24, 1967

Mrs. Garner suffered a massive stroke last night. The doctor said it would have been fatal for anyone else her age but apparently she has the constitution of someone much younger. When I was packing her suitcase to take to the hospital, I found this letter beside her bed. I know how strongly she feels about leaving letters unanswered, so I am sending it on to you, even though it appears to be unfinished.

Sincerely,
Marthareen Jenkins
Housekeeper to
Mrs. Garner

June 19, 1968
Dallas

Dear Betsy,

It is hard for me but I want you to know. Baby is beautiful. Like child of Cloud Fairy. I want to hold. Not just pictures. When will we see? You can go and leave baby here. I will hold tight to her hand when car comes. Trust me. Soon baby will walk, thinking I am always behind. Not to be afraid. All you have to teach.

Guests coming soon. Eleanor, too. And still no flowers on the table. I must go into the garden. Nothing blooms here and where did redbirds go? I want to go far away. Another country. So many places I never saw.

This is a strange land. Sun never stops shining. I am so tired. I want to sleep but light in my eyes. Must call Sam so he to bed. Then I can sail. Dining with Captain tonight. Write me. I want letters waiting.

A Dieu,
Nana

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Woman of
Independent Means

DOMESTIC FEMINISM IN A Woman of Independent Means

Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey wrote
A Woman of Independent Means
in 1978, when to most Americans feminism was beginning to become associated with angry politicos who neglected their femininity and were capable of shocking radicalism. This book, however, portrays a very different ideal for the capable, socially responsible woman of the twentieth century. The character Bess Steed Garner was partially inspired by the feminist movement of the 1970s, and partially based on the author's grandmother. When Hailey told her husband of her intention to write a novel called
Letters from a Runaway Wife
, he responded, “Runaway wives are a passing fad. Why don't you write about somebody who doesn't have to leave home to be liberated? Why don't you write about somebody like your grandmother?” Therefore, in the life of her heroine, Hailey portrays a domestic feminist, a woman who is not only confident about her gender's equality, but who proves it every day in her judicious maintenance of her home and finances, her unfailing support of her husbands, family, and friends, and her personal, independent engagement with the world around her. The letters that compose this book—both personal and business letters—reveal that Bess's liberation is not only manifest in what she does, but in how she regards herself and her position in the various contexts of life.

Bess's first letter is dated 1899, and her last 1968. The tremendous social changes that occurred in this sixty-nine-year span are reflected in the ever-evolving personality and character of Bess, who is gradually transformed from a sheltered, privileged child into a competent woman, encountering adversity with increasing intelligence, sensitivity, and courage. In 1913, Bess writes to her husband, “Last night the train sped through the heart of a forest fire, and I watched with fascination as the flames encircled but could not touch us. Sometimes my life seems as safe and insulated to me as the compartment in which I was riding last night. I see the flames of death and deprivation outside, but they do not touch me.” In 1916, however, those flames swept closer when Bess's daughter was hit by a car and forced to undergo a long, difficult period of hospitalization. Bess's relentlessly energetic care was probably instrumental in saving her daughter's life, while her creativity and devotion assured that Eleanor's psyche, as well as her body, mended during the long convalescence. This is the first tragedy that tests Bess's domestic heroism, but not the last. Over the next several years Bess endures the untimely deaths of her husband and eldest son, yanks a failing business back to its feet, and—ironically—loses her home and all of her possessions in a fire. Though her wealth eases Bess's burdens, it does not remain a protective shield that keeps the most painful realities of life at bay. Gradually one comes to feel that the “independent means” are not the social status and financial security Bess was born into, but the personal and spiritual strengths and resources she has acquired.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE ABOUT Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey

Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey, born in Dallas, Texas, in 1938, studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and received her bachelor's degree from Hollins College in 1960. In the same year she married Oliver Hailey, a playwright, and in the years that followed, the couple had two daughters, Elizabeth Kendall and Melinda Brooke. Hailey worked briefly in journalism and publishing before joining her husband in writing for film and television. They served as creative consultants for the enormously popular television series
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
.

Hailey's first novel,
A Woman of Independent Means
, published in 1978, was an instant bestseller, and her stage adaptation won the Los Angeles Critics Award. In 1995, NBC aired
A Woman of Independent Means
as a six-hour miniseries starring Sally Field, and in this medium, too, the work won critical acclaim. In addition to
A Woman of Independent Means
, Hailey has published three other novels:
Life Sentences
in 1982,
Joanna's Husband and David's Wife
in 1986, and
Home Free
in 1991. All of these novels have been praised for their commitment to searching out the subtler truths of interpersonal relationships and personal integrity.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. This book is in an epistolary format, meaning that it's written in the form of a series of letters. What do Bess's letters reveal that a first-person narrative would not? How do the style, tone, and subject matter of her letters change as Bess matures and grows older?

2. Once she reaches middle age, Bess begins to muse on the process and consequences of developing relationships through written correspondence, an example being when she writes to her son, Andrew, “I have always had enormous respect for the written word and invariably find a letter more revealing than a face-to-face conversation. In a strange way I suspect I will get to know you better at a distance than I would if you had stayed at home.” How do you think a written correspondence can be a greater spur to intimacy than “a face-to-face conversation”?