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Voyage Comics’ biography of Rose Hawthorne takes us on a fascinating journey. It begins with her birth into the household of the famous novelist and shows how her concern for the poor began from her father’s influence, which marked her profoundly even though he died when she was only thirteen. The narrative takes us through her young adulthood as a member of a family that was connected to most of the famous American literary figures of the late 19th century. Rose Hawthorne married George Lathrop, and both embarked on literary careers.
The death of their son, who succumbed to diphtheria at the age of four changed everything for Rose and George. They made a radical break from their social circle when they became Catholic. George’s conversion did not halt his descent into alcoholism, and it was this further tragedy that led to Rose’s venturing off alone to make a life without him. In 1896, she opened a three-room home for indigent cancer patients in New York’s Lower East Side, which at the time was a slum. In the late 19th century cancer was thought to be contagious. Not only were cancer patients turned away from hospitals, but they could also be evicted from rented homes. The first U.S. institution to admit cancer patients, New York Cancer Hospital (now Memorial Sloan Kettering) was founded in 1884, and Rose trained there to be a nurse. Eventually she went on to found Rosary Hill Home in Westchester County, which still provides free palliative care to patients with incurable cancer today.
The teaching of the Catholic Church agrees with that of the Puritans on the point that all Christians are called to be saints. “Saints are persons in heaven (officially canonized or not), who lived heroically virtuous lives, offered their life for others, or were martyred for the faith, and who are worthy of imitation” (USCCB.org). So, though Nathaniel may have been alienated from his Puritan heritage, Rose’s journey was, in some respects a fulfillment of rather than a break with her paternal ancestry. According to the trajectory officially recognized by the Catholic Church, Rose Hawthorne as Venerable is someone whose intercession may be invoked to ask for a miracle, usually a healing from an incurable illness.
The artwork as always with Voyage Comics is engaging and vividly illustrates the life story of this fascinating but little known American heroine. The images of diseased patients are evocative without being gruesome. It is suitable for readers from elementary school through adulthood, and will be of interest to anyone who wants to explore American history.
