The Little Locksmith: A Memoir
by Katharine Butler Hathaway
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This early 20th century memoir of a woman's faith in the face of debilitating disease is a "remarkably un-self-pitying book remains poignant and truthful" (Publishers Weekly)."You must not miss it . . . It is the kind of book that cannot come into being without great living and great suffering and a rare spirit behind it." —The New York Times
In 1895, a specialist straps five-year-old Katharine Hathaway, then suffering from spinal tuberculosis, to a board with halters and pulleys in a show more failed attempt to prevent her from becoming a "hunchback" like the "little locksmith" who does odd jobs at her family's home. Forced to endure her confinement for ten years, Katharine remains immobile until age fifteen, only to find that none of it has prevented her from developing a deformity of her own.
The Little Locksmith charts Katharine's struggle to transcend physical limitations and embrace her life, her body, and herself. Her spirit and courage prevail as she expands her world far beyond the boundaries prescribed by her family and society: she attends Radcliffe College, forms deep friendships, begins to write, and in 1921, purchases a house of her own that she fashions into a space for guests, lovers, and artists. Revealing and inspirational, The Little Locksmith stands as a testimony to Katharine's aspirations and desires—for independence, love, and the pursuit of her art.
"A powerful revelation of spiritual truth" —The Boston Globe
"Katharine Butler Hathaway . . . was the kind of heroine whose deeds are rarely chronicled . . . [She took] a life which fate had cast in the mold of a frightful tragedy and redesign[ed] it into a quiet, modest work of art." —The New Yorker. show less
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The Little Locksmith by Katherine Butler Hathaway (written in 1942) by a woman who was treated for Spinal TB (strapped to a board for 10 years from age 5-15) but who ultimately became a writer and painter (better at the first), bought a house in Castine and ultimately in Blue Hill. Her memoir is beautifully written, psychologically astute, and fascinating. She predates feminism and Freudianism and other isms so that one gets a very authentic sense of who she is--and she can be brutally honest, especially about the role the mother played in denigrating her daughter because she was trying to protect her. And it was really sad as the child assumed the mother was speaking truth that no one would ever want to have a relationship or marry show more her. Not true as it turned out, but she died before she could write this part of her life. Died in 1942.I didn't read about her or read the forward or back of the book so read it cold except for the glowing recommendation of a friend up here who sent it to me. (Gete didn't like it at all. Not enough plot. I also gave copies to Bess, Carolyn, and Barbara.) show less
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Author Information
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Katharine Butler Hathaway (1890-1942) grew up in Salem, Massachusetts. After attending Radcliffe College, she lived and wrote in Maine, and later in New York City and Paris, where she was a part of the vibrant artists' culture of the 1920s. In the early 1930s she returned to Maine with her husband. The Little Locksmith was published a year after show more her death show less
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Awards and Honors
Distinctions
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1943
- Important places
- Castine, Maine, USA
- First words
- I have an island in the palm of my right hand. It is quite large and shaped like an almond.
- Quotations
- I grieved to see my gifted friends, one after another, voluntarily letting their beautiful gifts go to waste because each of them sooner or later fell into the sickness of romantic love. I lost faith in women artists because ... (show all)I could see that for every one of them writing or painting was not a genuine passion, but only a temporary substitute or pastime which she was eager to lay aside instantly for the sake of a love affair or a marriage.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)I am leaving my story in the same condition as my house was when I left it then. Preliminary things are told, the rest is waiting; it is packed as full as a pie with treasures to be sorted out, examined, and put in order. But the probability of my being free to return to my story is less certain than the probability was then of my being free to return to my house. Then Lorna and Alvah and I never dreamed of anything except an unseasonably late snowstorm and a prolonged mud season as possible causes for my being delayed.
Classifications
- Genres
- Biography & Memoir, Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 362.43092 — Society, government, & culture Social problems and social services Social Welfare People with disabilites Other Physical Disabilities Biography & History Biography
- LCC
- PS3515 .A8615 .L5 — Language and Literature American literature American literature Individual authors 1900-1960
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 267
- Popularity
- 121,052
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.66)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 7
- ASINs
- 12
