Three Lives · Chapter
II: The Life of the Good Anna explained
This chapter details the life of Anna Federner, a German immigrant who becomes a servant in America.
What happens
This chapter details the life of Anna Federner, a German immigrant who becomes a servant in America. It describes her early life, her emigration with her dying mother, her service with Miss Mary Wadsmith, and her eventual role managing the household for Miss Mathilda. The chapter explores Anna's relationships, her conflicts with Jane Wadsmith, her friendships with Mrs. Lehntman and the Drehtens, and her devotion to Dr. Shonjen and later Miss Mathilda. It also touches on her financial generosity and the disappointments she faces when people fail to repay her.
Themes in this chapter
Servitude and Self-Sacrifice
Anna dedicates her life to serving others, finding contentment in managing households and caring for her employers, often at the expense of her own needs.
Class and Social Mobility
Anna's role as a servant highlights class divisions, while her saving and lending money reflect attempts at economic stability within her social station.
Gender and Dependence
Anna's dependence on large, helpless women or men for employment underscores the gendered nature of domestic work and women's economic reliance.
Characters to notice
- Anna Federner
The protagonist, a hardworking German servant who manages households and forms deep attachments to her employers and friends.
- Miss Mary Wadsmith
Anna's first employer in Bridgepoint, a large, helpless woman who leaves household management to Anna.
- Jane Harden
The young girl in Miss Mary's household who begins to oppose Anna's authority.
- Mrs. Lehntman
Anna's friend, a widow and midwife, who later becomes involved with a mysterious doctor and falls into disgrace.
- Mrs. Federner
Anna's sister-in-law, who subtly criticizes Anna's generosity toward the Drehtens.
- Dr. Shonjen
Anna's employer for five years, a jolly doctor who appreciates her cooking and raises her wages.
Key passages
“Anna Federner, this good Anna, was of solid lower middle-class south german stock.”
Anna Federner came from a stable, lower-middle-class family in southern Germany.
Introduces Anna's background and social class.
“Anna felt herself to be a servant, not a maid, and so she promptly left the place.”
Anna considered herself a servant, not a maid, and quit her job immediately.
Highlights Anna's pride in her role and her refusal to be demeaned.
“Anna found her place with large, abundant women, for such were always lazy, careless or all helpless, and so the burden of their lives could fall on Anna, and give her just content.”
Anna preferred working for large, helpless women because they allowed her to take charge and find satisfaction in managing their lives.
Explains Anna's preference for employers who depend on her.
“Anna never really thought that these people would be good, but when they did not do the way they should, and when they did not pay her back the money she had loaned, and never seemed the better for her care, then Anna would grow bitter with the world.”
Anna often lent money to people she expected would fail her, and when they did, she became disillusioned with humanity.
Illustrates Anna's pattern of generosity and subsequent disappointment.
