Volume 3, Issue 12, December 2022
Veronica L. Asay
Pages 5-26
Mrs. Robinson
To what extent should we use modern values to judge those working within the unjust rules and prejudice of their time period? Do unjust customs excuse unjust actions in response? In this work of historical ethical fiction, Benedict and the narrator elope and honeymoon in Scotland. Benedict is wealthy with a large estate and so, when they come back, the narrator is to become the lady of the estate. However, she quickly learns Benedict has a secret, his older brother of diminished mental capacity, has been declared dead and is being secretly kept in the attic of the house. This was done when Benedict was born so that he, and not his older brother, would inherit and control the family estate. The narrator is offended by the situation, but facing acceptance (and lower social standing) or divorce, she opts to continue the family lie.