The Second Life of Mirielle West

The July Fourth celebration is a success; the children enjoy the treasure hunt, delighting in the small toys Irene and others collected. The frog race takes place on the baseball diamond, then the band plays. Many residents dance, and Mirielle chats with Frank until Hector approaches, asking her to dance. She recalls rejecting Frank’s invitation in the observation tower. After dancing awhile, Hector excuses himself to lie down, and Mirielle worries his legs may hurt once again. Jean, then pulls Mirielle onto the dance floor, and the two dance the steps that Mirielle has taught her. The night indeed ends in fireworks, and Mirielle thinks of her family, wondering if Charlie and the girls are viewing fireworks too.

The Carville residents are full of praise for the July Fourth celebration. Word spreads that Mirielle captured the bullfrogs, which garners her praise. As she changes bandages at the dressing clinic, Mirielle expects to see Hector but does not. One evening, she learns he has been admitted to the infirmary. She rushes there and is allowed to visit Hector briefly; he has Nephritis, a kidney condition. Mirielle is worried but tries to convince herself that he will be alright under Doc Jack and Sister Verena’s care.

Two weeks pass, and Mirielle continues her work and routine. Pay day arrives, a happy day; many use the funds to treat themselves at the canteen or engage in gambling while others mail the money to family. Though the amount of money is small, Mirielle takes pride in the fact that she has earned it herself. She collects her pay, then heads to the canteen. On the way, she passes a group of men outside of house 12. They insult her for befriending Hector, speaking of him with racial slurs. Mirielle responds with an obscene hand gesture but is spotted by Sister Verena and chastised.

At the canteen, Mirielle discovers little is left to purchase, and so she flips through the Sears and Roebuck catalog. She thinks of the fine powders and other items she owned prior to living at Carville, but none of the catalog items appeal to her. She recalls how Frank occasionally sets up a donation basket to raise funds for desired items at Carville. She asks Frank whether the funds could be donated to Hector’s family, as he has been unable to work due to his condition. Frank agrees, and Mirielle deposits all her pay into the donation basket; as she leaves the canteen, the church bells ring—a sign that a death has occurred.

Mirielle attends the funeral mass for Hector, saddened that none of his family is present. The funeral brings back memories and waves of grief over Felix’s death, and, though Mirielle reminds herself that the service is not for her son, she dry heaves during the burial.

That night, she attends a remembrance dinner for Hector hosted by Frank. As she eats, Mr. Hatch approaches her, and Mirielle blames him for the broken arm she suffered when attempting to escape. Frank and Irene join them, and they toast to Hector. Irene notes that Mirielle seemed unusually upset at the funeral, and Mirielle reveals the death of her son. She explains he drowned in a pool and blames herself for not watching him more closely. Irene and Frank insist she is not at fault and encourage her to forgive herself.

Mirielle has difficulty focusing on the tasks at the injection job and falls behind in sterilizing the needles. Sister Verena pulls her aside, sensing that a preoccupation with Hector’s death is to blame. She urges Mirielle not to lose heart and to remain hopeful for a cure. When Frank comes through the line, he whispers to Mirielle to meet him at 5:30 that evening. Mirielle is suspicious but decides to go. Frank ushers her to the fence, then clips some of the wire with pliers. Mirielle protests that she will be jailed again if caught, but Frank insists that they are only sneaking out for the night. He adjusts the wires to cover the hole in the fence after they pass through, then pays a driver in a waiting truck, telling Mirielle they are headed to New Orleans.

Frank leads Mirielle through the streets of the city. After so much time in Carville, she finds the sights and sounds welcoming. They go to a train station, and Frank points out a public telephone, suggesting Mirielle speak to her family. She calls home, speaking first with Charlie, who is surprised she has phoned but chats about his film before handing the phone to Evie. The young girl is delighted to speak with Mirielle but tells her she has been teased by other children due to her mother having “gone crazy” (181). Mirielle insists this is untrue and that she is merely caring for a sick aunt.

When Charlie returns to the phone, Mirielle tells him that she knows about the magazine article. Charlie confesses that he informed the reporters that she was seeking mental health treatment, insisting it was an appropriate lie. Mirielle is angry, but her time runs out, and neither she nor Frank has any additional quarters to extend the call. Frank suggests they buy a drink, and Mirielle agrees.

As they walk, Frank speaks of initially being angry about the disease but having accepted it. He advises Mirielle to do the same, assuring her that she will indeed one day leave Carville. They arrive at a speakeasy and are permitted entrance after Frank and the man at the door exchange words in French. As they drink, Mirielle grows angry, recalling her conversation with Charlie. She excuses herself to the restroom, where she considers not returning to Frank and instead escaping to California. But, knowing that Frank would look for her and risk being caught himself, Mirielle decides against it.

When she returns, several men are jeering at Frank’s hands. Frank offers to tell them two versions of the reason for his “disfigurement” and to allow the men to decide which is the truth. In his first explanation, Frank insists he was injured after saving a foolish comrade from a grenade in the Great War (World War I). The young men are riveted by the bravery and triumph, then ask for the second tale. Frank tells them that he has leprosy, and the men laugh, certain that this is untrue. After they leave, Frank tells Mirielle that he did indeed serve in the Great War, but that he was the foolish one who was saved from a grenade by a comrade. Mirielle listens, then suddenly asks Frank to dance. As they dance, she thinks only briefly of his hands as they touch hers.

Mirielle awaits the results of another skin test. She is pleased when it is negative (her third one), hopeful that it is a sign she is healing. Dr. Jack says Carville will be experimenting with a new treatment, and Mirielle should watch for the call for volunteers.

That evening, Mirielle watches the film shown by the What Cheer Club, focusing on the contrast between Carville’s humble setting and the luxurious theaters in which she previously viewed films. She finds it strange to see people with whom she has socialized on screen, relieved that none of Charlie’s films has been shown. She tells Frank and Irene of the upcoming treatment trial, but both are skeptical that it will prove effective, having seen other trials fail over their years of tenure at Carville. Still, Mirielle remains hopeful, dedicated to leaving Carville.

The next week, a new piece of equipment is delivered to the infirmary. Mirielle examines it in secret, optimistic that it will bring them closer to a cure.

When the call for volunteers for the fever therapy treatment begins, Mirielle adds her name. She assists Sister Verena as she inspects the patients who have volunteered, writing down Sister Verena’s findings as she studies the lesions on each patient. Mirielle, too, undergoes examination, hoping to be among the 12 participants.

Mirielle is chosen for the trial, where she will lie inside the machine for five hours while heat raises her core body temperature. The belief is that the high temperature will kill the bacteria in her body. Mirielle is anxious about being in the enclosed space, so she daydreams about being at the beach with her children. The daydream turns dark, however, when she imagines that Felix has wandered off into the water and drowned.

The chapter ends with a letter from Charlie in which he tells Mirielle she should not be upset about the magazine. He insists that the children are fine though Evie has taken to plucking out her eyelashes, and Helen is unable to recognize Mirielle in photographs.

It is fall, and Mirielle follows Jean up to the observation tower. Jean hopes to capture the attention of a tugboat on the river but is unsuccessful. Jean and Mirielle study the clouds and chat and are soon joined by Frank and two boys. The kids talk about the tugboat, and Frank asks Mirielle how she is feeling. Mirielle is tired, but Dr. Jack explained that this is to be expected during the fever therapy.

Jean and the boys leave to hunt for worms for a fishing trip. Alone, Frank asks Mirielle about the fever therapy, but she changes the subject, asking Frank about his past love interests. He had a fiancée before the war but was then diagnosed with leprosy. A sheriff then arrested Frank and brought him Carville. Frank is certain his fiancée—the sheriff’s daughter—was responsible for reporting him.

Just then, Mirielle stands, but wobbles. Frank asks if she is alright, but she collapses, and everything goes black.

Mirielle awakens in the infirmary, certain that the blackout is a symptom of the therapy. Sister Loretta, however, informs Mirielle that she has malaria. The fever therapy treatment will be stopped until Dr. Jack determines whether she is well enough to participate. Mirielle notices a new lesion on her arm but does not point it out.

As the days pass, Irene and Jean visit. On the fourth day, Mirielle feels better. However, Dr. Jack informs her that she cannot continue the fever therapy, as the malaria would “confound the results” (212). Instead, Mirielle can apply for the next round in the spring and assist Sister Verena with the trials until then. After he has left, Mirielle cries.

Mirielle is released from the infirmary. Back at house 18, she studies her face, feeling she is not as attractive as she once was. Frustrated, she goes to the canteen for a soda and to check the mail.

There, she finds Frank and the others chatting and laughing with a newcomer, an attractive woman named Rose. After the group leaves, Mirielle asks about Rose, commenting on her beauty. Frank tells Mirielle that she, too, is attractive and gives her a letter from Charlie. Mirielle reads it, frustrated to learn Charlie plans to holiday in Switzerland with an actress from his new film.

Mirielle then turns to Frank, asking if he truly finds her attractive. The two move closer and nearly kiss, but Mirielle breaks away and runs out of the canteen.

Mirielle assists Sister Verena and Dr. Jack in administering the fever trials. Sister Verena examines a patient named Lula Roscoe, and Mirielle writes down the findings. The improvements are promising, and others at Carville have expressed interest in the next round of trials.

Mirielle continues to monitor Lula’s vitals. At one point, Lula complains of cramps, and Sister Verena administers calcium gluconate. Then, she leaves, cautioning Mirielle to pay close attention to Lula. Lula asks Mirielle to help take her mind off of the chamber, so Mirielle chats about Charlie’s upcoming film, inventing the plot entirely, as Charlie has not informed her about it. Lula falls asleep, and Mirielle’s mind wanders to the near kiss with Frank.

Suddenly, Mirielle knocks over the water pitcher. The crash, however, does not awaken Lula. Mirielle leaves to retrieve a mop and hears a thrashing sound when she returns. Inside the chamber, Lula convulses. Mirielle stops the machine and opens the lid, holding Lula until she becomes still.