2-3-4 Challenge Book Discussions #1 discussion

Jenny is in a loveless marriage and her husband Gerald is clearly an alcoholic. What do you think will happen to these two? Will he forgive her murdering his mother? Will she keep the truth of her birth from him? Will Hannah keep silent?

I think they will continue to put up a pretence for society and live miserably on. Hannah will keep silent for her own social reasons and will eventually remarry.

I don't think Gerald and Jenny's marriage will change. I also don't think he would blame her because his mother murdered Gerald's son.

Jenny will never voluntarily tell Gerald her big secret. Hannah is a little bit of a wild card but I think she'll keep her mouth shut.

Gerald and Jenny will continue in their dysfunctional family and his drinking will kill him. She will never tell him of her birth circumstances. Hannah will keep her mouth shut because she’s got more to lose by telling anyone of Jenny’s secret.

Yes, the dysfunction will continue.

Gerald is what I think of as a quiet racist - he doesn't actively do anything racist, but he has ingrained prejudices like not being able to tell the maids apart. Thus, Jenny will never tell him the truth. In fact, I think that if she had told him who she really was when they were first married, he wouldn't have accepted her or Charles.

Hannah will keep quiet because it is in her best interest to do so.

I hadn’t even thought about his own “quiet racism” and your view makes absolute sense, Lauren.

You make a good point, Lauren.