As We Are Now by May Sarton
"As We Are Now" by May Sarton is a poignant exploration of aging and the experiences of the elderly within institutional care. The narrative follows Caro Spencer, an intelligent and sensitive older woman who finds herself in a rural nursing home that she perceives as dehumanizing. Through the medium of a personal journal, Caro articulates her feelings of isolation and distress, drawing attention to the neglect and abuse she faces from the facility's administration and staff. Despite the bleakness of her situation, she finds a brief connection with a fellow resident, Standish Flint, whose untimely death exacerbates her despair.
Sarton's work delves into the psychological, physical, and spiritual degradation that can accompany old age, particularly within environments that fail to recognize the individuality of their residents. Caro's struggles highlight the emotional toll of being treated as invisible and worthless. While she encounters some kindness from visitors, such as a minister and his daughter, the oppressive nature of the nursing home ultimately leads her to a tragic conclusion. The journal serves not only as a record of her experiences but as a powerful act of resistance, emphasizing the potential for creativity and growth, even in later life. The narrative ultimately serves as a commentary on the treatment of the elderly in society, inviting readers to reflect on the complexities of aging and the need for empathy and understanding.
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As We Are Now by May Sarton
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition
First published: 1973
Type of work: Novel
The Work
The plot of As We Are Now is simple: An old woman, Caro Spencer, is placed in a rural nursing home, finds little stimulation in her relationships with other residents, experiences hostile and abusive treatment from the administrator and head nurse, communicates her distress to helpful acquaintances from the outside world, is frustrated and ridiculed by the head nurse after repeated attempts to improve conditions in the home, and decides finally to set fire to the nursing home and kill everyone inside, including herself.
Sarton tells this tragic story from Caro’s point of view by means of a journal that she begins to write shortly after entering the nursing home. The journal reveals Caro as an intelligent, articulate, and sensitive older woman who is definitely out of place in this inadequate rural facility. Few residents share her intellectual background. Only one, Standish Flint, befriends her. He is a tough-minded old farmer who appreciates Caro’s clarity of mind and sense of humor. He seems a potential ally of Caro, but his untimely death hastens the development of her desperate state of mind.
Sarton wants readers to feel the physical, psychological, and spiritual degradation the elderly experience at the hands of insensitive, controlling caretakers who treat them as invisible and useless. The journal format invites readers to empathize with Caro’s feelings of helplessness and vulnerability and to appreciate the individuality and complexity of older adults. Caro begins her journal with the reference to the nursing home as “a concentration camp for the old, a place where people dump their parents or relatives exactly as though it were an ash can.” Sarton aims to show that individuals (the old included) may strike back when they are made to feel abandoned, unproductive, and worthless. The only escape may be a cleansing holocaust that occurs when the old person, her identity and sense of well-being crushed by cruel and abusive treatment, believes there are no other options available to her.
Caro does meet others who understand the complexity of her character and the beauty of her spirit. A minister who visits residents befriends her, and his daughter joins him and soon comes to love and appreciate Caro. They do their best to assist Caro in her attempt to alleviate the degrading conditions in the nursing home, but their actions are undermined by the oppressive hand of Harriet Hatfield, the administrator. When Harriet goes on vacation, Caro experiences a brief respite from this woman’s harsh treatment. Anna Close replaces Harriet and treats Caro as an individual. Anna’s warmth and affection rejuvenate Caro, but when Harriet returns to work and Anna leaves, Caro becomes desperate and feels trapped.
Caro’s last act before setting the fire is to place her journal inside an old refrigerator so that it will be spared and others can read about her experiences. Caro’s creative act of writing the journal represents a victory over her oppressive caregivers and suggests a view of old age as a time of creativity and growth.
Bibliography
Berman, Harry J. “May Sarton and the Tensions of Attachment.” In Integrating the Aging Self: Personal Journals of Later Life. New York: Springer, 1994.
Blouin, Lenora P. May Sarton: A Bibliography. 2d ed. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 2000.
Braham, Jeanne. Crucial Conversations: Interpreting Contemporary American Literary Autobiographies by Women. New York: Teachers College Press, Columbia University, 1995.
Fulk, Mark. Understanding May Sarton. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2001.
Ingersoll, Earl, ed. Conversations with May Sarton. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1991.
Kallet, Marilyn, ed. A House of Gathering: Poets on May Sarton’s Poetry. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1993.
Peters, Margot. May Sarton: A Biography. New York: Knopf, 1997.
Sherman, Susan, ed. May Sarton: Selected Letters. 2 vols. New York: Norton, 1997-2000.
Swartzlander, Susan, and Marilyn R. Mumford, eds. That Great Sanity: Critical Essays on May Sarton. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1992.