Dark Days - Chapter 2
Chapter Two delves into a period of profound sorrow for young Manya, a time during which the stability and discipline of education serve as her lifeline. Amid these trying circumstances, she eventually loses her connection to religion.
Living under the harsh Russian rule, the Polish family endures relentless oppression. As the youngest child and the youngest student in her class, Manya is often singled out by the inspector to recite Russian phrases and enumerate the rulers. Her father faces adversity as well, as his salary is reduced, and the family's lodgings within the school are taken away. Consequently, the family is forced to move into a smaller apartment and provide food and board to students to generate additional income.
Misfortune strikes when one of these students introduces typhus to the household, infecting Manya's older sisters Zosia and Bronya. In search of treatment, Manya's mother and sister Zosia travel abroad, leaving the family behind. The combination of reduced income from her father's position and escalating medical expenses prompt Mr. Sklodovski to make high-risk investments. Regrettably, these ventures fail, resulting in the loss of the dowry funds intended for his daughters. In 1876, the illness proves too much for Zosia, who tragically succumbs to it.
Young Manya finds solace in immersing herself in the world of books, momentarily escaping the political oppression and the terror of illness and death that envelop her. She becomes so absorbed in her reading that her sisters often construct makeshift structures out of chairs around her, which she only notices when she finishes a chapter, lifts her head, and topples the makeshift furniture fortress.
A mere two years after losing her oldest sister, Manya watches her mother lose her long battle with illness in 1878. At just 10 years old, Manya has already experienced the harsh realities of life. Her faith in the Catholic church, which once provided warmth and comfort, dwindles as everything that was once soothing and sweet is taken from her.
