- "There will be no more "Mirror, mirror on the wall." Ever since we were little, Elin and I would stand in front of the hall mirror and say: "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who in the realm is the fairest of all?" And then I would say, "You are," and Elin would say, "I am," and we would laugh and laugh and laugh."
- —Bess Brennan[3]
Bess Brennan (born April 16, 1921) was the twin sister of Elin Brennan and the daughter of Mrs. and Mr. Brennan. In December 1931, Bess was in a sledding accident which caused her to go blind. She was sent to Perkins School for the Blind, where she became friends with Eva Anderson and Amanda Bright.
Biography
Early life
She and her twin sister, Elin, were born on April 16, 1921.[2][1] Elin was older by twelve minutes. Their father passed away when they were four-years-old. Her uncle Ted Brennan moved in with the family following his brother's passing. At seven, Bess began to keep diaries and wrote an entry every day for five years.
Life at Perkins
In December 1931, Bess was injured during a sledding accident which caused her to go blind. Operations were performed by doctors, but her vision was unable to be saved. Elin stayed by her side and later suggested that she help her write her diary. Ted eventually decided that Bess should go to Perkins School for the Blind in order to adapt better to her new life. Bess was originally against leaving her home in Boston, Massachusetts, but realized it was what she needed. The school was not far away which allowed her to go home on the weekends.
At Perkins, Bess was placed at Bradlee Cottage where she roomed with Eva Anderson and Amanda Bright. Amanda taught her the ropes of Perkins as well as general tips for living as a blind person. As Bess gradually adjusted to Perkins, she became good friends with Amanda and Eva. She enjoyed most of her classes, especially English which was taught by Miss Salinger. Bess also struggled with learning braille and even considered taking up gymnastics again
Later, Miss Salinger began helping Bess write in her diary on Wednesdays since Elin was only able to write on the weekends. On Easter 1932, her mother allowed her to bring Eva and Amanda. Bess's family quickly began to adore Eva. A couple weeks later, Bess was selected to play Rachel in Miss Salinger's play. It was called off when Naomi Walker's father took her out of the school. Eva later became ill, but was able to recovered. Bess's mother and uncle decided to have her stay with them for the summer.
Later life
Eva was considered "one of the family" by the time Bess's mother and Ted were able to legally adopt her. Bess, Amanda, and Eva graduated from Perkins in 1938. The following year, Bess went to the work for The Seeing Eye after first becoming interested in the organization in 1933. Her typing and secretarial skills that she learned in her junior and senior years were what enabled her to work for The Seeing Eye. Bess never married but Elin did.
Personality and traits
Bess was an introvert, the opposite of her "outgoing and friendly" twin. She and Elin were very different from each other. As such, they disliked when people did not see them as individuals. Bess was very independent and self-sufficient. After her accident, she had to work towards being independent again. Her mother compared Bess to her father, a "poet and a dreamer."
Family tree
| Ted Brennan | Mr. Brennan (d. 1925) | Mrs. Brennan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Husband | Elin Brennan (b. 1921) | Bess Brennan (b. 1921) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Behind the scenes
- She is the main character of the Dear America book, Mirror, Mirror on the Wall by Barry Denenberg.
- In the book, they prepare to perform a play called When Will This Cruel War Be Over?, Denenberg's first book in Dear America. Bess is cast to play Rachel.
Appearances
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Barry Denenberg, page 31
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Barry Denenberg, page 93
- ↑ Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Barry Denenberg, page 9