Siri,
When faced with life altering decisions, the distinction between what is right and what is wrong appears differently. I believe that survival instinct can supersedes conscious thought, and one may do things to survive that one would not do under normal circumstances. Not always is the situation one that can be judged, at least not by another that is not subjected to the same circumstances. As you wrote, many of us, if not all, have not lived the life that is described in Twain’s novel. Roxy, because of the love for her son and the knowledge she had of the lifestyle that he would face, contemplated drowning him. That speaks volumes about how horribly people were treated.
People easily see fault in others, but struggle with understanding
When faced with life altering decisions, the distinction between what is right and what is wrong appears differently. I believe that survival instinct can supersedes conscious thought, and one may do things to survive that one would not do under normal circumstances. Not always is the situation one that can be judged, at least not by another that is not subjected to the same circumstances. As you wrote, many of us, if not all, have not lived the life that is described in Twain’s novel. Roxy, because of the love for her son and the knowledge she had of the lifestyle that he would face, contemplated drowning him. That speaks volumes about how horribly people were treated.
People easily see fault in others, but struggle with understanding