Any old god, I don’t care.

This letter was written by Sylvia in May of 1942, earlier than most of what we’ve read so far. It is very honest and forthright. It was written over a year before Adrienne was born and before Alex was sent abroad with the Navy. Throughout the letter Sylvia refers to an argument they but she moves on to talk about the house and a book she is writing. She talks about her diet and Alex’s distaste for fat women, as well as how faithful she is to him when he is away. I think Sylvia is pretty charming in this letter and don’t imagine that Alex could stay mad about whatever it is they argued about.

Sylvia also mentions a youth club that she is leading as well as her fear of leading an “Educational” while Alex is away. I will touch on this more in a future post. We also learn about Sylvia’s other talents here. She keeps busy in ways that are not mentioned in the letters that she writes when she is a mother. She is working on a book and mentions some drawings that she did for Alex (who didn’t appreciate her work).

I found it moving to read that she wrote “Sometimes I think I’m too good for this world… I should really be a god. Any old god, I don’t care.” It’s comical and cute but reading these letters and knowing that both the person who wrote it and the person for whom it was written are no longer alive adds weight to her statement.

Since it is summer and I think it is nice to stay lively for these posts, I will be mixing it up soon and we will look at some of Sylvia’s creative outlets.