A Visit of Charity

“With any old ladies? No—but—that is, any of them will do.”

This is Marian’s reply when the nurse asks whether she’s acquainted with anyone in the home. These words set the tone of the visit and Marian’s lack of compassion for the residents. Here, early in the story, the reader suspects Marian’s selfish motives. 

“There are two in each room.” 

When the nurse walks Marian down the hall, she tells her there are two women in each room. Marian asks what the nurse means. The nurse ignores her. The occupants of the Old Ladies’ Home live two in each small room, much like prisoners in a jail cell.

“Visitor.” 

Upon opening the door to the room of Addie and her roommate, the nurse calls our “Visitor,” as a guard might announce the presence of a visitor in a jail.

“Did you come to be our little girl for a while?” 

The unnamed old woman asks Marian this question after she enters the room. This comes after Marian takes in the crowded, damp appearance of the room, likening it to the cave of a robber. Little by little, the women in the room begin to chip away at Marian’s innocence with their comments and actions. After the woman asks this question, she snatches away the plant in Marian’s hands to Marian’s surprise. Marian can’t even remember her name when asked and observes Addie’s mouth to be “small and sorrowful, like a pet’s” (Page 139).

“If we bring flowers—” 

Marian’s flowers qualify her for one extra point toward her Campfire Girl badge. She would receive double points if she read to the ladies out of a Bible. But she’s feeling a great sense of isolation at this point and decides not to mention it. She believes the women aren’t listening to anything she says.

“That’s only the contrary way she talks when you all come.” 

This is what the unnamed old woman says to Marian following an outburst by Addie. The unnamed woman already let Marian know they had a visit from a Campfire Girl a month ago. Now she tells Marian such visits provoke Addie and makes her argumentative. This comment contributes to Marian’s loss of innocence in the story. She assumed the residents would welcome a visit from a Campfire Girl.

“You never were born!” 

In a rant to her roommate, Addie tells her she’s never been anywhere except the Old Ladies’ Home. Addie claims everything about her roommate is empty, from her heart to her hands to her black purse. Addie goes on to tell Marian everything her roommate says is not true. Marian begins to tremble, her heart beating, and she’s uncertain what to believe. Her sense of isolation grows stronger as the women ignore her while they bicker with one another.

“Why, she’s mad because it’s her birthday!” 

The unnamed old woman tells Marian it’s Addie’s birthday. This is a turning point in the story. Marian now sees Addie as a fellow human being who, like her, celebrates birthdays. Birthdays are something Marian can understand.

“How old are you?” 

Upon learning it’s Addie’s birthday, Marian asks how old she is. This is the first time she shows interest in Addie. Marian takes a close look at the old woman and wonders about her. She realizes it’s the first time she’s thought about another person in this way. When Marian tells Addie she won’t reveal her age, Addie begins whimpering. Marian thinks it sounds like a lamb rather than a sheep. Thus the figurative language around Addie shifts along with Marian’s view of her.

“She’s crying!” 

Marian turns her “bright, burning face” (142) to the unnamed woman and tells her Addie is crying. The warmth of Marian’s face is a direct contrast with the cold of the building. But the unnamed woman is not concerned with Addie’s crying, saying “That’s Addie for you” (142). Marian’s warmth is short-lived; she leaps to her feet and runs out of the room.

“Well, it was a real visit.” 

When Marian tries to escape the room, the unnamed woman offers this reaction. She then grabs Marian and asks if she has “a penny to spare for a poor old woman that’s not got anything of her own” (142). Marian, unmoved by the woman, pulls out of her grasp. She shows no compassion for the woman, cutting short her visit. 

“Won’t you stay and have dinner with us?” 

As Marian flees the building, the nurse, who is reading Field & Stream, invites her to stay for dinner. Marian, in her eagerness to escape, doesn’t even reply to the nurse’s invitation. Marian has the points she needs for her Campfire Girl badge, and that’s all she cares about.

“Her yellow hair under the white cap, her scarlet coat, her bare knees flashed in the sunlight.” 

As Marian flees the Old Ladies’ Home, the narrator describes her appearance. Her youth, neatness, and cleanliness stand in contrast to the home and its inhabitants. Marian experienced a moment of connection with Addie. Yet this description suggests that her life is so far removed from that of the Old Ladies’ Home that the connection she formed may be forgotten.