The Second Life of Mirielle West

After reading the letter, Mirielle runs to the administrative building, demanding to see Dr. Ross: She wants to temporarily leave Carville to go to her ill daughter. Dr. Ross says it would be nearly impossible to obtain permission from the health departments of the five states through which Mirielle must travel because there are strict rules about quarantining leprosy patients. He also observes that being near her daughter would be dangerous, too, as children are susceptible to the disease. Unable to accept the decision, Mirielle is ushered out by Sister Verena, still protesting.

As they walk across the colony, Mirielle appeals to Sister Verena. Sister Verena points out that, beyond the contagion of the disease, the stigma of Mirielle’s affliction could cause even greater harm to her family. However, she gives Mirielle a Saint Christopher medallion, saying it will protect her on a journey, noting the night watchmen will be called away on a disturbance—insinuating she plans to help Mirielle escape from Carville.

Mirielle packs a small bag and heads to the canteen to ask Frank for pliers. He is angry and unwilling to help Mirielle, informing her that Jean has absconded. Mirielle worries about Jean but is determined to get to her daughter. Frank accuses Mirielle of acting selfishly but gives her the pliers; Mirielle storms off.

Beyond the Carville fence, Mirielle walks until she meets a driver willing to take her to the New Orleans train station, where she plans to buy a ticket to California. She is certain she can keep the disease from spreading by disinfecting her dishes and finding a doctor who will administer chaulmoogra oil. At the ticket counter, though, she remembers Sister Verena’s medallion and rethinks her decision. Instead of exposing her daughters to the disease, Mirielle decides to search for Jean.

Still at the train station, Mirielle phones home, but the butler says Charlie is out. She recalls details Jean has shared over the months, remembering the name of the town Jean hails from: New Iberia. Mirielle buys a coach ticket and arrives in the town as the day is ending.

She procures a room at a hotel, and the next morning, Mirielle asks about area boatwrights, remembering that is Jean’s father’s occupation. Hotel staff secure a ride for her with Mr. DeRounen, a soda delivery person. When Mirielle meets Mr. DeRounen, he declares her pretty, but Mirielle is certain he would feel otherwise were he to know of her condition.

Mirielle rides with Mr. DeRounen on his delivery, stopping to talk with several boatwrights to ask about Jean. She does not receive any helpful information, but she plans to accompany Mr. DeRounen again the next day.

At the hotel, she phones Charlie, only to be told by the butler that he is out and there is no change in Helen’s condition. The next day, Mirielle and Mr. DeRounen arrive in a town called Jeanerette, which Mirielle finds promising. Mirielle speaks with the town grocer who says the only boatwright he knows has passed away.

The next town is even smaller, and Mirielle asks directions to the boatbuilder’s home. There, a woman with three children directs Mirielle to her husband. The man does not wish to speak to Mirielle though Mirielle notices his resemblance to Jean. He refuses to answer Mirielle’s questions until Mirielle lies, telling him she works for the health department. The man admits that Jean returned home, but he sent her away, afraid a “leper” would harm his business and that Jean would infect her half-siblings. Mirielle asks Jean’s father about Jean’s uncle working in the shrimp industry, and Jean’s father says he lives in Cote Blanche Bay.

At the hotel, Mirielle asks about Cote Blanche Bay, an area of water that leads to the Gulf of Mexico. When she gets the information, she makes plans to travel to Franklin the next day.

The next morning, the news broadcasts a story about an escaped patient from Carville. Mirielle knows it is she but acts naturally so as not to draw attention. She walks to the train station, passing a movie theatre with a poster of Charlie’s new film.

In Franklin, she hires a boatman, explaining she is searching for her missing niece. Again and again, she comes up short. Mirielle’s money will run out soon unless she is able to reach Charlie to request more, and she is unsure what to do next. Finally, a man speaks of a girl fitting Jean’s description who was asking about shrimping work. Mirielle convinces her boatman to travel to the shipyard where Jean was last seen.

Mirielle jumps ashore when they reach the shipyard, told that a group of children congregate in a nearby boathouse. She rushes there, but Jean is not among the dirty and bedraggled children. She asks if they have seen Jean, but none of them are willing to help. Harmonica music catches Mirielle’s attention, and she rushes to its source. The boy playing insists he found it, but Mirielle snatches it away. As the boy and other children yell at Mirielle, Mirielle sees shoes sticking out from some crates.

Jean is nearly unconscious, the lesions on her face swollen. Mirielle offers one of the boys some money to carry Jean and, discovering she does not have her purse, gives the boy her silver bracelet instead.

Jean has a fever, and Mirielle worries she is seriously ill. After Mirielle bathes her in cool water at the hotel, Jean regains some consciousness. Using nearly the last of her money, Mirielle buys train tickets, eager to return to Carville so that Jean can receive medical treatment.

The journey is long, and they must change trains twice in order to reach Baton Rouge. At the Opelousas station, Mirielle sends a telegram to Sister Verena saying she found Jean. She uses a coded message so as not to alert police that they are two Carville escapees.

Mirielle telephones home and is surprised when Charlie himself answers. She does not tell him where she is, despite Charlie’s insistence. Mirielle is relieved to hear that Helen has been discharged from the hospital. Charlie asks if Mirielle has received his letter, and Mirielle, thinking he means the letter about Helen, says she has. Charlie indicates that another letter followed it, instructing Mirielle to read it. Abruptly, Charlie brings up Felix’s death and Mirielle’s suicide attempt, insisting he never blamed Mirielle for the former.

Mirielle returns to Jean just as the train is departing, but drops her valise. Once abroad, Mirielle laments the loss of the family photograph—her favorite of Felix—which is inside the valise. Jean has become more ill, and Mirielle is relieved they have reached the final leg of the journey.

At the Baton Rouge station, there is no sign of the Carville ambulances nor Sister Verena. A policeman instructs Mirielle not to loiter and inquires about Jean’s lesions. Mirielle invents a story about an allergy just as she then spots a taxi.

Mirielle and the taxi driver argue about the price for a ride to Carville: The driver informs Mirielle that the river is flooding and demands the money up front. Mirielle offers him the Saint Christopher medallion, which he refuses. Mirielle has no choice but to offer Irene’s ruby ring. The driver accepts it, but they are interrupted.

The interruption is a man in a horse-drawn wagon. He asks the taxi driver if the woman is “giving him trouble” (346) and sends him off, promising to deal with Mirielle himself. Mirielle is certain the man must be a police officer but is relieved to discover the man is Frank, who has heard of Mirielle’s arrival. Sister Verena had set off in the ambulance, but they had to return when they would not have enough gasoline for the return trip. When the taxi is gone, Mirielle tells Frank the long story of how she found Jean. They must hurry, as Frank tells her about the impending storm; if the levees break, Carville could flood.

At Carville, Mirielle rushes Jean to the infirmary and takes charge of her care beside Sister Loretta. Sister Verena arrives and confirms that Mirielle has taken the correct steps in addressing Jean’s condition. Once they have done what they can, Sister Verena instructs Mirielle to head to house 18 for a shower, and Mirielle returns the Saint Christopher medallion.

A nurse rushes in with a bulletin from Dr. Ross: The colony must evacuate, as the levee may break. Sister Verena gives the orders, and Mirielle rushes out to inform the residents.

Mirielle calmly notifies the houses to prepare for evacuation, remembering Sister Verena’s instructions not to illicit alarm. She asks Frank for assistance, and they each take half the houses.

Mirielle instructs each person to bring only a blanket, a pillow, and a change of clothing. In house 18, she notices the empty place on her nightstand where her family photo once was but knows she has no time to grieve for it.

From the observation tower, Mirielle observes the chaos. Frank arrives, giving her a letter that Mirielle knows is from Charlie. She is certain that Charlie is seeking a divorce. She tells Frank her true identity, explaining the reason she ran out of Charlie’s movie. Frank offers sympathy as the evacuation whistle sounds.

Mirielle rushes from house to house to instruct the residents to head to the barge. At house 18, she heads to her room to retrieve her evacuation bundle but realizes she has not packed one. She grabs the most important items—Evie’s drawing and Irene’s ring—leaving behind her other belongings.

Mirielle rushes to the makeshift infirmary, searching for Jean among the patients, uncertain whether she may have already been loaded aboard. Finally, Mirielle finds her and brings her aboard.

On the ship, Mirielle reads the letter from Charlie: Though she expects to be angry at his request to divorce, she isn’t. Charlie’s words are kind, and he feels Mirielle has changed for the better during her time at the colony. Mirielle considers whether this is true, admitting that though she would not have chosen life at Carville, it has become meaningful.

At dawn, Mirielle awakens, and the barge is tethered to the shore. Luckily, Carville’s grounds are undamaged; the levee broke on the west side while the east side stayed intact, sparing Carville. Mirielle searches for Jean and finds her sitting beside Frank. Mirielle says Jean should be resting, but Jean insists on remaining where she can see the river.

It is 1942, and Mirielle still lives at Carville, working alongside the doctors and nurses. Many of the buildings have been updated, and a new drug is successfully treating what is now called Hansen’s disease. Jean, who uses a wheelchair after the loss of her legs, publishes a colony-wide magazine, and Mirielle and Frank have been married for 10 years. Mirielle is anxious about a visit she will receive the following day and is not sure she wants to go through with it.

The next day arrives, and Jean plays her harmonica while Mirielle awaits the visitors. A car approaches, and Sister Verena ushers two young women toward Mirielle. Mirielle’s daughters rush to Mirielle and embrace her.