A Conversation with Nanette
older lady who I would normally love to talk to , but because of what I represented , we didn ’ t ” ( Riley , par . 14 ). We didn ’ t ? Or you didn ’ t ? Who deterred the conversation ? Is ageism at play ? In her routine , Gadsby ’ s narrow-minded mother evolves , even becomes the heroine of diversity . Gadsby also anticipates giving Grandma a second chance . But Nanette is cast in concrete , stereotyped to her doom . I cringe anticipating my name becoming an adjective like “ Pollyannaish .” 2
The negative stereotype affixed to both Nanette and Pollyanna is an injurious act of phenomenological abjectivity by either the rhetor or the reader , whether done intentionally or ignorantly . Gadsby concedes that she “ projected ” her own abjectification , that Nanette did nothing of note . Similarly , Porter ’ s young heroine , Pollyanna , was the model of optimism for the cynical adults and despondent children with whom she came in contact yet is today unfairly remembered . In the face of severe trial , Pollyanna chose to find hope instead of despair . She was the “ tonic ” for those suffering emotional misery ( Porter 137 ). Instead of remaining this symbol of hope for us today , her name connotes naïveté , gullibility , and childishness . We ’ re a poorer society in choosing this association over the loadstar Porter actually provides in her classic story . And in so choosing , Pollyanna risks being relegated to the dusty margins of outdated , sentimental novels not hip enough for today ’ s readers . Again , we impoverish ourselves and the next generation by our oversight when Pollyanna could be just the medicine our discordant society needs�especially people like Gadsby who perceive offense where none is given .
Nanette is Gadsby ’ s scapegoat�the person on whom she heaps society ’ s sins and expects to silently carry them away . The term scapegoat is just as culturally ubiquitous , yet often used in ignorance , as is Pollyannaish . An etymological study
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