As The Optimist's Daughter opens, Laurel McKelva Hand leaves Chicago and goes to New Orleans, where her father, Judge McKelva, is seeing an eye specialist to find out why his sight is failing. Laurel meets her father's young, new wife, a selfish, disrespectful woman named Wanda Fay ("Fay"). The doctor tells Judge that he has a detached retina and that it must be operated on at once. After the operation, the eye seems to be recovering normally, but Judge's health is not bearing the rigors of surgery well. He is lethargic and his health declines. Laurel and Fay, along with another woman, watch Judge to assure that he does not move very much, which would jeopardize the recovery of his eye.
Laurel and Fay have adjoining rooms at a nearby hotel, but Laurel.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 829 words. This
study guide contains 22,830 words (approx. 76 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our The Optimist's Daughter Access Pass.
