The Awakening of Miss Prim

by Natalia Sanmartín Fenollera

“No education is complete without visiting that little corner of Concord. I’m sure its literary merit doesn’t stand up next to many other books but, as we both know, this is not what it’s about. It’s about beauty, delicacy, security. When they grow up and life treats them badly—as it certainly will—they’ll always be able to look back and take refuge for a few hours in that familiar sentimental story. “They’ll get back from work, stressed by the traffic, aching with tension and problems and there, in their minds, they’ll be able to open a door into the parlor of Orchard House with its rather cloying, puritanical transcendentalism, its piano, cheerful fire, and blessed Christmas tree.”

The basis of a good marriage, a reasonably happy marriage—don’t delude yourself, there is no such thing as an entirely happy marriage—is, precisely, inequality. It’s essential if two people are to feel mutual admiration. Listen carefully to what I’m about to tell you. You must not aspire to finding a husband who’s your equal, but one who’s absolutely and completely better than you.”

What I’m trying to explain, child, is that unless you allow the beauty you seek to hurt you, to break you and knock you down, you’ll never find it.”