Abortion central to ‘The Blue Orchard’
Verna Krone knows what it means to work hard. She was forced to leave school in the eighth grade and work as a maid to support her family.
As she scrapes by before and during the Great Depression in Pennsylvania, Verna’s abused and abandoned by men in ways that will scar her for life.
Verna, despite her grim reality, refuses to accept that her people are not the kind to get an education, as her mother insists, and goes back to school. Aided by a little luck and a lot of determination, she becomes a nurse.
Not too long after, Verna begins working for a black doctor who specializes in abortions, illegal at the time. The young nurse feels conflicted over the procedures but also confident she’s helping people. But Verna’s no fool. She knows what she does must be kept secret and that many in town don’t accept a white woman working for a black man — no matter how respected that man might be, and Dr. Crampton is regarded as a community and political leader.
Eventually, as the doctor’s political influence wanes, so does his protection. Though he has performed abortions for many wives, daughters and sisters of the area’s wealthy elite, Dr. Crampton knows the worm’s about to turn. As the fallout begins and both Crampton and Verna land in court, both realize they could end up in jail.
Jackson Taylor’s “The Blue Orchard,” based on the life of his grandmother, explores a period of time in American history that led to much social change. Written as a novel, the story is heartfelt and complicated.
Verna has much respect for Dr. Crampton, but at the same time she says she has seen white women who’ve been ruined by colored men. The longer she works for him the more her feelings seem to deepen, but she herself seems at a loss as to the emotions she feels for the older doctor.
Verna learns and grows along the way, but her feelings are conflicting. She recognizes she leads a privileged existence because she is white but, when push comes to shove, holds on to her privilege. And though she herself comes from a rocky background, she seems to become bitter toward the women in her care, despite having been in their shoes at one time.
I used to sympathize and commiserate with the plight of all women, but then one day I began to wonder: Why do we put up with it? And especially those tough ones? They have free agency. They can say no. Why are so many of us willing to enter bad situations? Why do so many of us find ourselves unable to leave? As I contemplate the women who demand too little respect, a dislike toward my own sex grows, and that increased lack of sympathy vexes me a great deal. Where does it come from? Is it a hard layer forming around my heart, or is it because I may be in the process of becoming one of them?
Dr. Crampton, too, grows, especially as their trial takes its toll and his clout evaporates. Once a community leader, he finds all his allies have abandoned him.
“Risk is risk,” he says, “but something in me has also changed. I no longer care about the money or the politics or helping my people, or that I’m no longer considered a credit to my race. They can’t seem to remember the work I’ve done. I know they call me an Uncle Tom, but I don’t care, because people who say that have never known the thrill and terror of being the first one to go through the door.”
Yes, “The Blue Orchard” delves into many sensitive topics — race, gender, class, abortion, political corruption. Tough subjects indeed, but Taylor roots it all in truth, revealing the contradictory and flawed nature of people.
