The mother had no choice.
Things were already going wrong for her eldest son, who was getting bullied about his family life, and all that useless Principal had to offer was some totally irrelevant advice to tell her son that "violence is never the answer" completely ignoring the fact that he was the victim in all this, not the bully. For a moment, I even wondered whether the Prophet might have had that Principal "on the payroll" but concluded that one needn't go to such lengths to account for an insensitive bonehead.
Given such insensitive treatment, how long would it have been before the boy, too, started running away to join his big sister back in Harmony? Not long, I suspect, had things gone smoothly for Charlotte.
Even as it was, the outcome was almost entirely fortuitous. Had the Prophet not insisted on "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory" by making her go ahead with the marriage to her stepfather, he would not only have retained Charlotte, but within a few years, at most, have got back the oldest boy, and possibly, over time, the other children as well.
Essentially, Judith's only hope was that the Prophet would be too stupid to realise that he'd as good as won. In the movie, he was, but I get the impression that in real life his kind are often wilier than that.
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Catnip86
10 years ago
Alice seemed very happy with her new life. Given the fact that she was almost raped in Harmony, I don't see her wanting to go back.
The youngest two would grow up knowing a normal life. The boy was about five and the girl probably three or four, since they were both in preschool. Growing up knowing nothing but a normal life, why would they choose to go back?
The oldest boy would probably adjust eventually. Especially if he ad a decent strong male figure to replace his "father".
I thought it was wrong of the mother to jeopardize the freedom and well-being of all of them over the snotty, selfish behavior of one person. Who didn't even care if her little sister was raped.
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mikestone1948
10 years ago
Not sure what you mean by "adjust". The older boy, as I recall it was not at fault in any way, he was the victim of the bullying. How do you "adjust" to that?
And of course a "decent, strong male figure" cannot be produced to order. And even if he is, that doesn't mean he and his stepson will hit it off. Such relationships are notorious for going sour.
You might be right about the two youngest, but if both their older siblings end up back with Dad, it is by no means guaranteed.
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Catnip86
10 years ago
Ok, I will define it for you. Obviously, none of them were used to the normal life. it was going to take time for all of the to adjust in their own ways. (Remember, I think it was Alice didn't want to remove her undergarments? I really think that eventually, she did).
As for the male figure - where did I say he would be "made to order"? or that she had to remarry? That person could be a coach, a teacher he hits it off with, even that cop who seemed to take an interest in the family.
Again - why would Alice want to go back to the place where she was almost raped once, and was going to be forced into a marriage, probably with a 40+ something year old man? She seemed to be really enjoying her new life, and the chance to get a real education.
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