The Hole By Shirley Wilder Analysis

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“The Lost Children of Wilder” Throughout the semester we have discussed many cases, but Shirley Wilder’s case and story is the craziest and saddening I have ever read. The obstacles she and her son go through are things that I could not even imagine or see myself surviving. Nina Bernstein took an interest into the case because she wanted to know what happened to Lamont, Shirley Wilder’s son. By doing that she has opened people’s eyes to a whole new issue right in our own backyards. The problems within the foster care system go back from the beginning. Animals had more protection than children. In the 1874 case of Mary Ellen McCormack she was the one who finally put a human face on child abuse. Her neighbor, Etta Angell Wheeler, decided to take action, but since there was such a lack of child-protection laws she had to take the case up to the A.S.P.C.A (the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). From there on child abuse/neglect cases were supposed to be handled better and have better laws to protect these children. …show more content…

In “the hole” there are no windows, no screens, and no bed. When Shirley was sent to “the hole” they stripped her and made her wear pajamas with Velcro fastenings. The reformatory treated these girls like animals which horrified Shirley enough that she even tried to run away several times. Rather than trying to understand and see the true issues in their facility, the staff attributed her escape attempts to mental instability, going so far as to label her schizophrenic. It is very saddening that a young bright child, like Shirley would have to go thru something so horrific because her unlucky past. She is going through a series of unfortunate events. The whole purpose to have child services is so that we can better the future for these children and protect them. That is when Nina Bernstein and Marcia Lowry come

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