Behind her is a trail of evasion and deception. For Clyde's sake (and to not disgrace her family) she seeks an abortion and, failing that, contemplates suicide. She not only meets Clyde secretly, but violates her sexual code. Despair turns to hope after Clyde agrees to marry her.īreaking the social taboo by chatting with the foreign girls at the factory, Roberta also breaks a factory taboo by meeting with her supervisor. Passionately loving Clyde, she afterwards feels guilty but continues the affair. Her response to nature is sensuous and serene when she picks water lilies and when she trails a hand in the lake. She is attracted not only to Clyde's charm and position, but to his physical attributes. Her shyness stems, in large part, from feelings of inferiority, a legacy of her early factory days. Although her looks, charm, and morals are superior to those of her rural community, the suitable young men there identify her as a "factory type." Her knowledge of men and of birth control are very limited. Her family's poverty forces her to work in a nearby factory. Like Elvira, Roberta is the daughter of a poor farmer. Before her death, she settles for the facade of respectability. Morality is important to her, but the power of eros overwhelms her. She believes in the efficacy of her efforts and in the value of continuing her education. Like Clyde, she desires a better life and better marriage prospects, but she has no grand illusions about marrying into wealth and luxury. Clyde's factory girlfriend believes in life and love.
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