Misogyny
Many reviews and analyses of this novel show a preference for the term sexism as a thematic component of the novel. Sexism is defined as discrimination or feelings of superiority toward the opposite gender. Misogyny, however, is defined more precisely as prejudice stemming from contempt or even hatred of women. When an 11-year-old girl who has been sexually abused repeatedly by her brother is accused of either lying or being the seductress who instigated the boy into committing sin, that is a reaction that moves well beyond the limitations of mere sexism. Add to this particular aspect of the story the profound devaluation of women within the Roman Catholic Church in favor of the elevation of males to sainthood who were men of questionable sanctity whose names novitiates adopt when becoming nuns and it becomes painfully clear that the theme is illustrated here not just discriminatory feelings toward women, but profound levels of contemptuous distrust of women.
The Dark Side of Faith
At the center of this story lies a simple question looking to be answered. The narrative trek of the protagonist will seek to answer the question of whether a young girl can literally survive on faith with no need for food. The question is easily answered, of course, for any rational person using the fundamentals of logic. Unfortunately, religious faith can transform such a person into a lunatic who genuinely believes this question can be answered in the affirmative. What makes the story more than just a simplistic attack against religious faith, however, is that it also brings into question the dark side of putting one’s faith in science. Lib, the nurse protagonist, initially becomes a participant in this drama partly by taking on the role of the scientific debunker of religion. Gradually, however, she comes to view her faith in science as having its own dark side capable of producing intended consequences.
Living in Willed Oblivion
By the end of the story, pretty much every character is revealed as having an enormous capacity to will themselves to a state of oblivion in order to live a fiction that is preferable to actual fact. Obviously, Anna is not surviving merely on faith, but these revelations not only confirm that foregone conclusion but also expose that nobody actually ever thought that absurdity was true in the first place. It is not religious faith that has Anna’s parents believing she will survive, it is the twice-daily transfer of chewed food from her mother’s mouth into her daughter’s mouth disguised as a kiss that is the basis for their conviction Anna will survive. The local priest finally admits that he knew all along Anna’s fasting was not some sort of miracle, but a penitential act seeking salvation for her brother’s sinful acts upon her but chose to go along with the fiction in order to avoid embarrassing the Church. Lib finally convinces Anna to begin eating again with a story in which drinking milk will satisfy her suicidal desire and resurrect her as a completely different young girl named Nan. It is more than merely suggested that Anna knows the whole resurrection part of the deal is bogus but commits to the bit wholeheartedly. And the story climaxes with a devastating house fire that supposedly claims Anna as a victim which one of the nuns supports even though she herself witnesses Anna surviving. The story concludes with one last demonstration of this theme as Lib and a male reporter pose as a couple under false names and claim that Anna is his daughter. It is a story not just of convenient lies, but of people both telling and hearing the lies and deciding to believe them.
