Part Two, Chapter Seventeen: Reconstruction Summary

Marmee wakes in the morning thinking about all the ways that her husband has failed her: he failed to provide financial freedom, failed to consider her emotions before departing for war, and failed to tell her the truth once she got there. Depressed, Marmee decides to write a letter to her daughters but knows that she cannot tell them how she's truly feeling: they will never understand. Later that day, a letter arrives from Mrs. Hale inviting Marmee to stay at their estate, as per Grace's request. Marmee is very touched. Marmee accepts the generous offer and quickly makes her way to the hospital with a renewed spirit to care for March. When she arrives, she finds that Dr. Hale has ordered the nurses, including the nurse Marmee dumped soup on, to give March special care. Within a few...