Necessary Lies

One of the novel’s two protagonists, Ivy Hart is hard-working and dedicated to her family. She is aware of her grandmother’s and sister’s limitations and selflessly takes on many of the household responsibilities, including domestic tasks and caring for two-year-old William. Through these actions, Ivy reveals herself as mature and responsible, yet she is inhibited by her environment and lack of resources. Indeed, she often expresses stress over the burden of caring for her family and the obligation she feels to tend to their needs, regardless of how mentally, emotionally, or physically fatiguing it might be. As a 15-year-old girl living in the rural South in the early 1960s, Ivy knows very little about the rest of the world. She has experienced nothing beyond her rural school and the Gardiner’s farm. However, Ivy’s dream of moving to California with Henry Allen displays bravery and a determination to improve her circumstances.

Throughout the novel, Ivy’s intelligence is constantly questioned. The social workers who have evaluated her have deemed her to be of low intelligence, but Jane suspects that she may have a higher mental capacity than the tests have shown. Some aspects of the plot—such as her lack of knowledge of the process by which a baby is delivered—are due to ignorance rather than a lack of ability to learn.

Ivy is characterized as loving and loyal, especially to her sister, Mary Ella, and William. She is concerned about their wellbeing, and losing them to foster care and suicide proves devastating. Likewise, Ivy is protective of herself and her family and initially cautious of Jane, suspicious that Jane may not have her best interests in mind. In time, however, Ivy softens, warming to Jane and developing a genuine connection to her. The care that Jane displays for Ivy is important, as Ivy has not experienced someone of authority caring for her plight in a personal way. Though Ivy’s trust in Jane is broken at several junctures in the plot, ultimately, she chooses to trust Jane when she comes to understand that Jane is her only hope to prevent the sterilization surgery.

The few days that Ivy spends as a mother to her daughter, Mary, are evidence of her deep love of and commitment to her child. Ivy, in a display of maturity, takes mothering very seriously and recognizes the importance of the task, having mothered William. When Mary is taken into custody, Ivy is devastated. She flees with Henry Allen in a final attempt to prevent the state from taking away her reproductive ability.

The social worker who hires and trains Jane, Charlotte, is determined, capable, and hard-working. She is a foil to the protagonist, Jane, and represents the status quo in social work. Charlotte has worked in the field for a number of years and has been exposed to difficult situations. Charlotte is assertive and authoritative but also kind, polite, and professional. She is motivated to aid her clients and improve their lives where she can. Charlotte, however, is a realist and recognizes that, because of their economic and social class, many of her clients do not have the ability or opportunity to improve their station in life. For this reason, Charlotte is careful not to overextend the resources of the state; she carefully tracks the needs and income of her clients to ensure equal distribution and treatment.

Above all, Charlotte is adamant that successful social workers must remain objective and unattached. While she is polite to her clients, she deliberately does not develop any sort of bond with them, remaining detached and professional at all times. From Ivy’s perspective, Charlotte appears uncaring and unconcerned. For Charlotte, this kind of detachment allows her to effectively make decisions without being hampered by emotion. This difference in approaches to the Hart family highlights the contrast between Charlotte and Jane. When Charlotte terminates Jane from her job, she does so not because she has any personal dislike for Jane—indeed, she insinuates that she admires Jane’s display of ethics to a degree—but because she feels it important to adhere to the protocol set up by the profession.

Jane’s new husband is a well-respected pediatrician whom Jane admires. At the beginning of the novel, Robert dotes on Jane, frequently complimenting her for her beauty and charm. He is eager for their life together to unfold, encouraging Jane to tend to the domestic sphere. He is also eager to start a family; Jane doesn’t reveal that she isn’t interested in having children right away. Robert’s kindness is portrayed through his care for his patients. In other respects, however, he is portrayed as superficial: He worries that he will be judged harshly by his peers if they learn that Jane is pursuing a career in social work. He disapproves both of Jane’s chosen field and of her working in general. In this way, he adheres to traditional beliefs about gender roles, finding fulfillment and taking pride in being his household’s sole breadwinner. Fitting in with his peers and gaining social acceptance is highly important to him, and Robert grows increasingly frustrated with Jane when she appears not to share these goals.

Similarly, he opposes Jane’s views regarding Ivy, insisting that sterilization is the correct course of action. He shows no qualms about any ethical violations such an action would exert and, further, is critical of the welfare system as a whole. He expresses bigoted views against those outside of his economic and social class and endorses the eugenics program. Ultimately, Jane’s and Robert’s differing views and conflict over Jane’s profession cause them to end their marriage.