“Promises Like Dolls” is a very short story (123 words) about the experience of multiple miscarriages. The story refers to various objects (dolls, books, flowers, t-shirts, stuffed animals) as a way of reflecting on expectations of motherhood (her own and those of others and of society) and on the grief of miscarriage. It also represents the limits of social support for miscarriage.
The story is short enough to be read together in class, both as a reflection on how the experience of medical events is shaped by cultural norms and social experiences and as a prompt for discussing how the author utilizes specific imagery and description to convey (and imply) complex emotions in a very short work.
Access
- Link: https://pleaseseeme.com/issue-10-womens-health/fiction/promises-like-dolls-jenna-jacobs/
Details
Language: English
Type of Story: Newspaper or Magazine
Medium: written
Contributed by: Health Story Hub Team ( health-storyhub@uiowa.edu )
Citation: