Dorthy Day

Dorothy Day’s autobiography The Long Loneliness expressed Dorothy’s search for spiritual satisfaction, trials of growing up, search for happiness, birth of her daughter Tamar and the Catholic Worker Movement and her friend Peter Maurin.

Dorothy Day was born in Brooklyn and grew up in a conventional middle-class home before the time of World War I. (Allaire and Broughton, pg. 2) Her father made his living by being a journalist, which later funneled Dorothy’s interests in writing. Dorothy started going to church around ten, but never got real serious and involved in the church until later in her life. (Loneliness pg. 20) At sixteen, she won a scholarship and enrolled at the University of Illinois. (Loneliness pg. 40)

o years that she attended the University, she struggled to make it through college. She helped Nanny and house clean to stay at college and have a place to live. Dorothy started to write and got a job as a journalist. She began to see conditions that she did not like and went to many riots and protests. One significant situation that changed Dorothy’s life was being jailed for protesting about women’s suffrage. She was jailed and participated in a hunger strike for the inhumane treatment and the cruelty for being put in jail. Emotionally and physically drained from being locked up, she asked for a Bible to provide some comfort and strength. However she did not ask for God’s help or seek God at this point in her life. (Loneliness pg. 77-82) I found this part to very sad because she did not let God in her life, but still pushed God a way. It probably wasn’t her time to discover the great feelings to have God in someone’s life.

A high point of Dorothy’s life was her relationship with Forster Battingham and their daughter Tamar Teresa. Dorothy moved out to Staten Island with Forster after selling rights for a movie production she wrote. (Loneliness pg. 109) Her and Forster entered a common law marriage and they were very happy together. Forster and Dorothy both agreed that the social order needed to be changed but disagreed about many other things. Forster was an atheist and didn’t believe in bringing children into this world. (Loneliness pg. 134) Dorothy’s dream and yearning of having a baby would soon come true when she had Tamar Teresa. Dorothy was convinced to baptize Tamar, while Forster wanted no part with religion and baptizing Tamar. Dorothy broke her common law marriage with Forster when Tamar was baptized. Dorothy also got confirmed which Forster finally left. She continued to write for more columns and was later greeted by a man that changed her life drastically. I found this part of the book to be real sad because she had to choose religion or her lover. I think it takes tremendous courage to choose what she did. I am extremely disappointed in Forster for leaving the Tamar and Dor

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