The Eleventh Virgin · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The Eleventh Virgin by Dorothy Day.
Chapter 1
Dedication
The author offers a playful and unconventional dedication of the book to several individuals, including an unnamed girl and herself, breaking with tradition.
Chapter 2
The Eleventh Virgin
June Henreddy reflects on her life, her relationships, and her pregnancy, grappling with societal expectations and her own desires for autonomy and meaning.
Chapter 3
Part I: Adolescent
June Henreddy navigates her adolescent years, grappling with intellectual curiosity, religious doubts, and the oppressive atmosphere of her family home. She finds solace in books and a burgeoning sense of self, while her mother's strict expectations and her father's distant authority create a stifling environment. The chapter explores June's internal rebellion and her first encounters with romantic and sexual feelings, particularly through her relationship with Mr. Armand.
Chapter 4
I
June decides to enter nursing training during World War I, despite her anti-war principles, and persuades her mother to fund her uniforms. Her sister Adele, now eighteen, joins her. The chapter details June's early experiences in the hospital, including her first morning toilet with a defiant elderly patient, Granny, and her work in the fracture ward with colorful patients like Ida and 'Oh-a, Oh-a'.
Chapter 5
II
June confesses to her sister Adele that she has fallen in love at first sight with Dick Wemys, an orderly with a broken nose resembling Amenemhat III. Their relationship deepens as they work together in the hospital ward, sharing intense passion and a fatalistic view of love. June struggles with her desire for Dick, who warns her against wanting babies, while they bond over caring for delirious patients and finding solace in each other's company.
Chapter 6
III
June and Dick's passionate but precarious relationship deepens through the summer and into winter, marked by intense love and the constant threat of separation. After a fight, June moves out of Dick's apartment but waits for him at a café, and they reconcile. The chapter explores June's domestic devotion to Dick, including mending his clothes, and her painful awareness that their love is temporary.
Chapter 7
IV
June discovers she is pregnant and grapples with the consequences. She fears losing Dick, who has made clear he does not want children, and considers an illegal operation. After borrowing money from Billy, she undergoes the procedure at Dr. Pringle's. Dick then abandons her, leaving a note explaining he left early because he could not handle the emotional weight of the situation.
Chapter 8
V
June spends two years at the state university, where she learns little from her classes but gains perspective through menial jobs and exposure to sexual and intellectual discussions. She works for various families, including a bootlegger and the Wittles, where she encounters frank talk about sex and reads works on sexual pathology. She also engages in debates with friends about socialism, birth control, and Nietzsche, and attends readings by poets Masefield, Masters, and Lindsay.
Chapter 9
Part II: Still Adolescent
June continues to navigate her adolescent years, grappling with intellectual curiosity, religious doubts, and the constraints of her family and social environment. Her relationship with her mother remains strained as she seeks independence and understanding.
Chapter 10
I
June decides to enter nursing training during World War I, despite her anti-war principles, and persuades her mother to fund her uniforms. Her sister Adele, now eighteen, joins her. The chapter details June's early experiences in the hospital, including her first morning toilet with a defiant elderly patient, Granny, and her work in the fracture ward with colorful patients like Ida and 'Oh-a, Oh-a'.
Chapter 11
II
June confesses to her sister Adele that she has fallen in love at first sight with Dick Wemys, an orderly with a broken nose resembling Amenemhat III. Their relationship deepens as they work together in the hospital ward, sharing intense passion and a fatalistic view of love. June struggles with her desire for Dick, who warns her against wanting babies, while they bond over caring for delirious patients and finding solace in each other's company.
Chapter 12
III
June and Dick's passionate but precarious relationship deepens through the summer and into winter, marked by intense love and the constant threat of separation. After a fight, June moves out of Dick's apartment but waits for him at a café, and they reconcile. The chapter explores June's domestic devotion to Dick, including mending his clothes, and her painful awareness that their love is temporary.
Chapter 13
Part III: Not So Much So
June reflects on her past relationships and the complexities of love, particularly her feelings for Dick and the societal pressures surrounding her pregnancy. She grapples with her identity and the expectations placed upon her as a woman.
Chapter 14
I
June decides to enter nursing training during World War I, despite her anti-war principles, and persuades her mother to fund her uniforms. Her sister Adele, now eighteen, joins her. The chapter details June's early experiences in the hospital, including her first morning toilet with a defiant elderly patient, Granny, and her work in the fracture ward with colorful patients like Ida and 'Oh-a, Oh-a'.
Chapter 15
II
June confesses to her sister Adele that she has fallen in love at first sight with Dick Wemys, an orderly with a broken nose resembling Amenemhat III. Their relationship deepens as they work together in the hospital ward, sharing intense passion and a fatalistic view of love. June struggles with her desire for Dick, who warns her against wanting babies, while they bond over caring for delirious patients and finding solace in each other's company.
Chapter 16
III
June and Dick's passionate but precarious relationship deepens through the summer and into winter, marked by intense love and the constant threat of separation. After a fight, June moves out of Dick's apartment but waits for him at a café, and they reconcile. The chapter explores June's domestic devotion to Dick, including mending his clothes, and her painful awareness that their love is temporary.
Chapter 17
IV
June discovers she is pregnant and grapples with the consequences. She fears losing Dick, who has made clear he does not want children, and considers an illegal operation. After borrowing money from Billy, she undergoes the procedure at Dr. Pringle's. Dick then abandons her, leaving a note explaining he left early because he could not handle the emotional weight of the situation.
Chapter 18
Monologue
June reflects on her past fervor for social and political causes, confessing that her true desires are for love, marriage, and motherhood with Dick, as she and Adele return to the hospital wards.
Chapter 19
Endnotes
This chapter consists solely of an editor's note indicating that a paragraph was abruptly cut off in the original printing.
