MovieChat Forums > North and South, Book II (1986) Discussion > Madeline leaving Orry...

Madeline leaving Orry...

posted 11 years ago by daughterofolaf
7 replies | jump to latest

I can understand a lot of her decisions up to a point but this one I find to be beyond silly especially since he already knows about her "race" issue. So her mom, who has been dead for what, 35 years was a hooker and somehow THAT is a reason for her to abandon him and the family to avoid shaming them?

I don't remember any of this part of the series from when I was a kid. All I can say is I hope they get back together again. Although I guess he dies at some point anyway but jeez, their relationship has been like 90% of them being apart and sad and 2% them being together and happy and 8% them being married and happy but him physically being gone to war.

"It's Minnie Pearl's murder weapon."

[–] angmc43 11 years ago

It wasn't the fact that her mother was a courtesan. It was the fact that she was a mulatto. To that society in general, having a pint of African-American blood made one completely African-American. Thus, in a society that championed white supremacy and black enslavement, Madeline would be considered a pariah. A southern general like Orry would have suffered political and social death for such an inter-marriage.

[–] daughterofolaf 11 years ago

But he already knew, his family already knew and they were fine with it. It was not until the big reveal about her mom being a prostitute that she flipped out and left.

"It's Minnie Pearl's murder weapon."

[–] angmc43 11 years ago

It was not her mother's profession that bothered Madeline. It was the fact that Ashton had unmistakable proof- the portrait- to prove Madeline's African-American roots to anyone not in the Main circle. Revealing the truth about her mother' employment was just an added bonus for Ashton to torture the woman; it's not the major factor that put Madeline under her control. If you recall, Ashton then goes on about how...different Orry & Madeline's child might be (that's what flipped Madeline out). It was all about the race issue.

The Main family knew and accepted Madeline's origins; that's not the problem. The problem was how the South would accept it if they knew. Answer: NO WAY. The family can be fine with Madeline's origins, but being fine about the opposition from the entire South was a different matter. If you think Madeline's mother being a prostitute was a worse scandal than being half-black in the Confederate society, I'm afraid you are very mistaken.

[–] theoneheart 10 years ago

I agree the most compelling and relevant issue was Madeline being black by southern standards of the time which was totally unacceptable. The question is whether abandoning Orry offers him and his family any protection from scandal if you know anything about Orry. The only protection from scandal and devastating trauma she could offer Orry and his family was confiding in him. Madeline's actions guarantee Orry trauma while limiting the possibilities of avoiding scandal.

[–] theoneheart 10 years ago

One more thing. The 'unmistakeable proof' of Madeline's African-American roots is only unmistakeable when it is proven the the portrait represents her mother who was black. There was little evidence beyond word of a madame who was unreliable and likely to remain silent if confronted.

[–] theoneheart 10 years ago

Thanks for the posting. It's beyond imagining why Madeline would leave Orry without one word. She knows her absence is devastating for him. They've endured years of separation and trauma to finally achieve marriage. It's insane to believe he would ever stop looking for her and go on with his life. How does Madeline dream that abandoning Orry with his unborn child offers anything other than unnecessary stress, trauma and a sense of betrayal? I stopped viewing at the end of episode 3 just to see if anyone else commented on her insanity. Now I can return to the enjoyable series.

[–] thetaylors604 7 years ago

Back then even a drop of Negro blood made one a Negro, no matter what. If you've ever seen "Showboat" you will remember the scene between Julie and Steve when word got out that her mother was a Negro.