A similar sacrifice of a relationship occurs between the two most prominent female characters: protagonist Harriet and her mother, Dorothy, who is most prominent prior to the birth of Ben. The Lovatt’s, but primarily Dorothy’s daughter and her sister Sarah, exploit her inherent sympathy and care and objectify her. Angela, another sister, takes pride in that “the two other sisters took up all of Dorothy” (32). The quantitative presentation of Dorothy in this statement, in a manner that compares her to a mechanical tool, represents the burdens carried by Harriet’s surroundings; burdens to which she is blind, due to her cognitive dissonance. Nevertheless, similarly to the relationship with David, it is possible that for Harriet, Dorothy truly