CHAPTER IX -Dawn O’Hara: The Girl Who Laughed

Chapter IX of “Dawn O’Hara, The Girl Who Laughed” introduces the reader to a Viennese couple, making their curious appearance in a Wisconsin supper setting. The man, an expert engineer, carries an unconventional ugliness, while his wife, a woman of noble birth with a rich history and distinctive style, initially captures attention with her unique attire and striking lack of conventional beauty. However, her laughter, combined with her elegant and expressive hands, shifts the narrator’s focus from her physical appearance to her charismatic presence.

The woman, speaking enchanting Viennese German and fluent French, effortlessly smokes cigarettes, captivating the room with her grace and cultural finesse. Her interactions reveal a high-born confidence, unshaken by her surroundings or the gazes of middle-class women. Despite her unusual looks, she exudes a charm that fascinates the narrator, who becomes keen on observing the couple.

The narrative delves deeper into the lives of these “new aborigines,” revealing layers of complexity in their relationship dynamics. The man’s bullying behavior contrasts sharply with the woman’s worshipful gaze, alluding to a deeper story of love and sacrifice. This intrigue is further explored when Frau Knapf, a previously elusive figure bustling with kitchen duties, shares the heart-wrenching backstory of Frau Nirlanger.

Frau Nirlanger, we learn, was a high-born Viennese widow who scandalized her family by marrying Konrad Nirlanger, a man of lower social standing. Her family’s subsequent legal battles aimed to deprive her of her son and wealth, highlighting stark contrasts between love, societal expectations, and the harsh realities of legal and class disputes. Despite winning the right to her wealth, she lost her son to her aristocratic family, a loss that led the couple to seek a new life in America.

Frau Knapf’s request for the narrator to assist Frau Nirlanger in buying modern American clothes reveals a poignant attempt to embrace a new identity while clinging to the hope of maintaining a youthful appearance for her husband and possibly reconnecting with her son in the future. This chapter not only explores themes of identity, love, and societal expectations but also highlights the immigrant experience of adapting to a new culture while trying to preserve one’s own identity and past.