Eleemosynary | Objects, Setting & Important Places

Eleemosynary Objects/Places

The Picnic

At a picnic when she is young and newly married, Dorothea meets a spiritualist who convinces her to become an "eccentric" and shed all social responsibility and live whatever flights of fancy enter her mind.

The Wings

Dorothea fashions a pair of wings with which she expects her daughter Artie to use to literally fly. These wings-which Artie cannot seem to escape-become a major point of contention between mother and daughter and then daughter and granddaughter.

The Tape

When Dorothea attempts to make Artie fly, she has the experiment professionally taped. Artie hates that there is such hard evidence of such a disgrace; but later, when Artie and Echo are living together-after Dorothea's passing-Echo forces her mother to watch the tape and see all of the good that is in it.

Alphabet Banners

The alphabet banners-one the Greek alphabet, the other Latin-are teaching aids used by Dorothea on both her infant daughter and her infant granddaughter.