MovieChat Forums > This Property Is Condemned Discussion > How was Willie living?

How was Willie living?

posted 10 years ago by VelvetVoice
1 reply | jump to latest

She said she was living in the brothel, and I would have guessed six months to a year she was on her own, but the state of the house made me think it's at least two years if not more. And Willie didn't seem too concerned about her future. And the state person looking her up needs to be fired. WTF!

The mother is a real jerk for abandoning her daughter, but even so you'd think that she would leave her money or something. Who does that crap? She needed a good killing. Even so, you'd think that Robert Redford would stand up to her and overlook a couple of indiscretions. After all it is the Depression. He sucks! Too high and mighty, needs to be brought down a couple of pegs.

How long would a disease of consumption/tuberculosis take to kill the person? My husband guessed that some things were foreshadowing her demise: the line about suffocation seems like she is preoccupied with breathing or the lack of it, she says she is dizzy and her head is in the clouds, she doesn't think about reality, and doesn't consider the consequences of her actions.

Velvet Voice

[–] FawnOmatic 9 years ago

I'm not sure why you think "he sucks". You mean Owen, right?
I didn't get the impression he really knew what happened to Willie. I don't think he ever assumed that Hazel would completely abandon her.
So you think he should have taken her from Hazel? The state isn't going to allow custody to a non relative man who has only been in her life a few weeks. He could call the state to report Mama but back then, likely little would have been done. They barely gave custody to men back that period, even relatives. Hazel would have fought for Willie only to spite Owen and maybe see him thrown in jail because Owen couldn't just take her without kidnapping charges.

Ideally, yes, that would have been nice but not realistic.

I'm not sure about the time it takes for TB to kill you because I think there are different strains. If left untreated I think you have a 50/50 chance of death. Some live with a dormant strain that never really affects them but they can pass it on.