Monday, February 25, 2013

The Dress Lodger

Sheri Holman's The Dress Lodger is a novel that truly reaches depths of your soul. As a modern-day female, it is hard to think about a life like that of the novel's protagonist, Gustine. She works two jobs, with only one day of rest in order to take care of her baby. The trouble is that her child has a rare heart deformity and must be treated with the utmost amount of care. During the day, she works as a potter's assistant and at night, she is what we could call today, a high-end prostitute. Her Pimp, or the dress lodger is Whilky Robinson. He allows Gustine to borrow an intoxicatingly beautiful blue gown so that she might reach a higher-end clientele whilst she strolls the dangerous streets at night. Behind her, every evening, is The Eye, who watches and protects the dress Gustine rents. Throughout the novel, your heart is aching for Gustine and the well-being of her infant child, but if you know novels, a happy ending is not likely to occur. Even though one would look down on Gustine now for working the streets, in the 17th century, it was a common part of daily life to cross paths with a whore because of the truely separated social classes and the inability for the poor to rise above to a higher class. Looking at Gustine from a 17th century point of view, I feel sorrow and empathy for her. This life is the only one that is in the books for Gustine and she will do anything to save her baby and offer him a good life. The Dress Lodger is a novel that embodies the unfair treatment of females and the indigent. After reading this book, you will surely be glad to be part of the 21st century, especially if you are a woman.

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