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Analysis Of The Book ' The Damsel ' Of Distress '

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The damsel in distress is a classic figure in literature that is often a young woman placed in a dreadful situation by a villain, requiring a hero to rescue her from evil. Linda and Dewey Dell represent this figure, as both women are left alone in the world and have no one to turn to for help when they are in trouble. Dewey Dell’s loneliness results from her helplessness as a pregnant unmarried girl. Pregnancy to her is “the agony and despair of spreading bones” and “the process of becoming unalone is terrible” (107, 55). Dewey Dell’s realization of the alienation within herself originates from being unable to speak of her unwanted pregnancy. Linda is similarly unable to speak of the abusive environment that Doyle creates. Both women are so involved in their own thoughts that they fail to eliminate the evil that impairs them.
Dewey Dell is conflicted with an undesired pregnancy and she has no one to rescue her. Although she anxiously hopes that Doctor Peabody will help her to get rid of the baby, she lacks the courage to reveal her secret to him. After Peabody does not help her, she is determined to obtain medication in Jefferson for an abortion. She is intent on getting the treatment she wants, no matter what the cost. Dewey Dell feels alone in the sense that she has no guidance pertaining to her pregnancy even though she desires to connect and to communicate with someone who can help her. She blames her unhappiness on the fact that she is “alone” and says that “it would

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