The Orphan Collector: A Heroic Novel of Survival During the 1918 Influenza Pandemic

“Something she couldn’t name seemed to push against her from all sides, something heavy and invisible and threatening. At first, she thought it was the heat and the congested sidewalks, but then she recognized the familiar sinking sensation she had grown up trying to avoid, and the sudden overwhelming awareness that something was horribly wrong.”

This quote foreshadows the flu as something inescapable and looming. It also begins to explain Pia’s intuition and her ability to sense hurt and illness. These traits are integral to her character development and the novel’s plot.

“With him by her side, she could have moved through the crowd nearly untouched. But that was impossible because he’d enlisted in the army three months, along with two of his German-American friends, to prove their loyalty to the United States.”

Pia and her family have sacrificed greatly to prove that they are loyal Americans, highlighting the theme of Immigration, Racism, and Anti-Immigrant Bias. Unfortunately, the novel shows how no amount of loyalty can protect immigrants from prejudice.

“‘Nein,’ her mother said. As soon as the word came out of her mouth, worry flickered across her face. ‘I mean, no. You must come with us. The radio and newspapers tell everyone to be watchful of their German-American neighbors and to report to the authorities. Before your father left, a woman shouted at me saying he stole a real American’s job. She spit and said to go back where I came from. I am not leaving you home alone.’”

Despite Pia and her family’s efforts to prove their allegiance—they do not even use their native tongue for fear of being overheard—they experience great discrimination. It later emerges that the woman who shouted at Pia’s mother was Bernice, whose life is intertwined with Pia’s even before she takes the twins.

“After turning left on Broad Street, they made their way toward the congested maze of alleys and gritty blocks of row houses they called home—the section of Philadelphia labeled the Bloody Fifth Ward because of the area’s violent reputation. In the last week alone, two men on their block had been murdered—one shot and the other stabbed—and a colored man was beaten and left for dead in an alley behind a warehouse on the corner. Other than the ever-present Home Guard, whose job was to spy on German immigrants, it seemed like the only time police came into the neighborhood was to raid the speakeasies, arrest women for vagrancy and ‘night walking,’ and apprehend men for gambling, assaults, and drunkenness.”

This description of Pia’s neighborhood illustrates the class status of many immigrants, who live in the most impoverished parts of town. Class and racial/ethnic prejudice exacerbate the challenges of poverty itself; the police only go the neighborhood to punish the residents, not to protect them, highlighting society’s simultaneous contempt for and suspicion of the poor. 

“What looked like thousands of people—some wearing yarmulkes and dark clothes, others in babushka scarves and colorful skirts—swarmed the building, trying to get inside. Some sat or lay on the ground wrapped in blankets, while others were half naked and soaked in sweat, moaning, coughing, and struggling to breathe. A number of them were already dead, their faces as purple as plums, their mouths and noses and eyes caked with dark blood. A colored man stumbled in front of [Bernice] toward the hospital begging to be let in, and a white man pushed him backward, telling him to go somewhere else. The colored man collapsed on the sidewalk, then lay there, lifeless.”

The devastation from the flu outbreak has been widespread, and the hospitals are overwhelmed. With medical attention a scarce commodity, white Americans of relatively longstanding residence treat immigrants and Black Americans as second-class citizens, illustrating the theme of Socioeconomic Differences and Access to Critical Care. This context allows Bernice’s actions to go unquestioned and demonstrates that Bernice is not alone in her prejudice.

“She gazed down at her sweet little Wallis, gasping for air and struggling to stay alive in her arms. How could they make him wait in line behind people who should have been looking for help from their own kind? She’d tried minding her own business when it came to strangers who had invaded her city, but this was too much. Between a German stealing her father’s job and this, she was done being civil.

She turned and looked up at the nun and policeman again. ‘What are you doing?’ she cried. ‘Half these people are foreigners. They shouldn’t be trying to get help from doctors meant to help Americans. It’s not right!’”

In a time of stress, Bernice’s true feelings about immigrants emerge; she does not consider them “real” Americans and scapegoats them as the cause of her father’s job loss and death. Her racism and anti-immigrant sentiments become more overt following the loss of her son, playing a major role in her motivations and actions.

“She should have kept Wallis safe, away from the man selling balloons and the mobs of immigrants on the sidewalks. She should have shoved the dark-skinned boy away from Wallis’ buggy and told him to keep his filthy fingers away from her son when he had dropped his miniature flag on Wallis’ blanket and reached in to pick it up without asking. It was her fault. Her fault Wallis got sick and died.”

This quote shows how Bernice blames immigrants and Black Americans for the flu, as well as the guilt she feels about her son’s death. Both her racism and shame are integral to Bernice’s character development and are what spur her actions.

“Wallis might have lived if it hadn’t been for them. Then again, it seemed like the entire neighborhood had been taken over by migrants […] [and Black individuals] since the war started, all of them looking for work in the shipyard and munitions factory. They weren’t like her and her family, whose relatives had lived in South Philly since the 1830s, when her grandfather had moved here from Canada to work as a stonemason.”

Bernice represents the great irony of America: Many of its citizens were once immigrants themselves, but they believe they have more right to the country’s land and resources than those of other ethnic and racial backgrounds. This belief stems largely from white supremacy—Bernice views herself as superior to Black Americans, though many have probably lived in America longer than her own family—but it extends to some “white” ethnic groups, including German immigrants.

“[Pia] glanced around the room, the beginnings of panic shuddering in her chest. Empty Mellin’s jars littered the counter next to a bowl filled with moldy potato and carrot peels. A half-dozen soiled diapers floated in the washtub with the last of the Borax, like gray islands in a muddy sea. A kettle crusted with soup sat on the stove, which was splattered with bits of dried food and baby formula, and the coal bucket stood empty. Stacks of dirty bowls and cups sat on the table, leaning this way and that. She’d stopped washing dishes three days ago, too exhausted to keep fetching water. Mutti would have been appalled.” 

Pia is ashamed of her inability to care for her family. She sees this scene as she believes her mother would have seen it: judging Pia for inadequate housekeeping and caretaking skills. She does not take into consideration the enormous amount of adversity that she faces.

“With their light hair and pale skin, they reminded her so much of Wallis it filled her with agony. At the same time she loved swaddling and holding their little bodies, touching their baby-soft cheeks and velvety hair. They were beautiful babies, as close to perfect as she’d ever seen, besides Wallis, of course. You’d never know they were German. If she were being honest, it would have been a toss-up between them and her son if they’d been entered in the state fair ‘Better Baby’ contest.”

Bernice’s positive reaction to the children’s appearance reinforces that her discrimination depends on how someone presents physically as much as where they are from. It does not occur to Bernice that the immigrants she hates might not be so different from her in ways more meaningful than physical resemblance.

“Sister Agnes smiled at her. ‘I can certainly already see that Mother Joe was right about you,’ she said. “It certainly looks like you know what you’re doing. Your brothers were very lucky to have a big sister to help take such good care of them.’

Pia chewed on the inside of her cheek, gazing at the baby to avoid the nun’s kind eyes. No, they weren’t, she thought, they weren’t lucky at all. And if you knew what I did to them, you wouldn’t let me anywhere near the baby ward. In fact, you’d probably have me arrested.”

Pia’s shame about abandoning her brothers turns into a secret she believes she must protect to avoid judgment. Praise, therefore, does nothing but deepen her sense that she does not deserve good or a second chance. This is the crux of Pia’s internal conflict and character.

“[Bernice] turned away and headed for the door, a pang of guilt tugging at her heart. He had no idea what was in store for him. Her brother had told her how nuns used candy to lure children into believing they were nice; now she had seen it firsthand. Then again, why should she feel bad? It wasn’t her fault Nelek was on the street. Where were his parents? She’s heard stories about immigrants dying on their journey to America, so maybe something happened to them on their way here. And if that were the case, he would have eventually ended up in a poor house or orphanage, anyway. Maybe his parents should have thought of that before they tried coming here.”

This is an example of how Bernice justifies her horrific actions. She knows instinctively that she is doing wrong, but she justifies her actions by blaming immigrant parents for not making better choices. Instead of being honest with herself and facing her own wrongdoing, she projects blame onto the people who have the least power.

“[Pia] laughed and threw her arms around him, not caring what she might feel when they touched. The only thing that mattered was that he was alive. He hugged her back, his cheek against hers, his warm, quick breath on her skin. Thankfully she felt nothing but joy at seeing him alive and the genuine depth of his affection.”

This is a rare example of touch that does not cause Pia pain or sorrow. The moment is a small glimpse of comfort: Pia realizes that there are people who care for and love her. It also illustrates how deep Pia and Finn’s relationship is.

“Mrs. Winston tightened her grip on Joseph, panic-stricken. The fear on her face nearly broke Bernice’s heart. But, she reminded herself, she had to so what was necessary to take care of Owen and Mason. Not to mention that giving a God-fearing American couple a white orphan to turn into a contributing member of society instead of letting him end up on the streets someday would be good for the city. The country too. Surely any patriot would agree with that.”

Again, Bernice justifies her wrongdoing—selling children—in terms of the purported good that she is doing for her city and country. Her motivation is getting deserving children (white immigrant children) to deserving parents (white American parents), ridding the city and country of immigrants and the impoverished.

“Pia looked down at herself. Did she smell bad? For the first time she noticed the glaring difference between her clothes and the Hudsons’. Next to Mrs. Hudson’s shimmering blue dress and the doctor’s navy suit and tie, she looked like she’d rolled in mud and let it dry. Everything about her, from her dress to her leggings to her shoes, looked ancient and brown, like the sepia colors of an old photograph. Compared to her outfit, even the doormat seemed a dazzling shade of cranberry red.”

This is one of the first moments in which Pia begins to understand the Hudsons’ class difference. The contrast demonstrates both how poor Pia is and the wealth and status that others enjoy. Throughout these later chapters, Pia will come to understand her own experiences better (or differently) now that she has an outside source with which to compare them.

“Pia stared into the steaming bath, her thoughts whirling like the water below the spigot. Being in this beautiful house with such kind people didn’t seem right when everyone she loved and cared about had suffered so much. Vater had struggled so hard to provide for and protect his family, and he was sent off to fight in a war. Mutti did everything for everyone, including sick neighbors and strangers who needed help, and she had died a horrible death. Then there were poor little Ollie and Max, loving and innocent and new, whose older sister locked them in a cold cubby and left them there, crying and hungry, and scared. Not only had they lost their entire family, but who knew what horrible fate they’d endured? And it was all her fault.”

Pia’s shame about the loss of her family has led her to believe that she is unworthy of anything good, including the comfort and privilege of the Hudsons’ house. Although this shame and guilt fuel many of Pia’s actions, they reflect her underlying empathy; she cannot enjoy her current circumstances knowing that her brothers might be suffering. This contrasts starkly with Bernice, who is similarly motivated by shame but does not consider others.

“After being in the Hudsons’ beautiful house, the rooms she used to call home seemed even smaller and darker now, the floors and walls and cupboards and dishes peeling and coated with grime, the curtains and bedding dirty and ragged. She’d never understood how poor they were until now. The difference between this home and the Hudsons’ was like night and day, black and white, diamonds and dirt.”

The Hudsons’ wealth throws Pia’s own poverty into perspective; through its lens, she looks at the home that was once a comfort and sees the harsh reality of her family’s situation. The passage also illustrates that immigrants are not living the life of luxury that Bernice believes they are.

“While she was glad to help him and his patients, at the same time she dreaded putting her hands on strangers, waiting for the first stab or twist or throb of pain to strike. After a while it seemed as though the patients’ suffering had become part of who she was, like an invisible, heavy burden carried in her body and soul. Or maybe it was her shattered heart that weighed her down. She often wondered what an X-ray of herself would look like. Would it show the broken bones and ruptured masses, the enlarged organs and rotted membranes of all the ill and damaged people she’d touched? Or would it show the emptiness and sorrow she carried inside, like a black space in the night sky?”

Pia’s kindness and empathy motivate her to help people but also leave her more prone to suffering; she feels the distress of others deeply. This is a stark contrast to Bernice, who shows callousness to the children she kidnaps and only cares about herself.

“‘You don’t remember Bernice? She lived two doors down from us in the same row house, she was mean as a mule. My brothers and I called her Old Biddy Bernice because she used to call us dirty Irish boys and make smart-ass remarks about my mother’s brogue.’

She shook her head and picked up her tea, ‘No, sorry. I don’t remember her.’

‘What’d ye mean you don’t remember her? How could you forget? She was a real bucket of piss, that one. She’s the woman who yelled at your mam about your father stealing her pa’s job, said it put him in his grave.”

Finn helps Pia discover Nurse Wallis’s real identity, the reason he went missing from the orphanage, and who took the twins. For most of the novel, readers see Bernice’s discrimination through her self-justifying point of view. This passage offers an outsider’s unsentimental perspective on it and her, stripping away any excuses for her behavior. The revelation that Bernice yelled at Pia’s mother also brings the plot full circle, showing how Bernice and Pia’s lives have been intertwined since the beginning.

“‘I didn’t do anything wrong,’ Bernice said. ‘Even President Coolidge knows we can’t let immigrants take over the country. We’re being overrun. I gave those children a chance to become regular Americans.’”

Bernice justifies her hatred of immigrants by appealing to an authority—the president—and rationalizing actions that she knows are wrong. The era’s broadly anti-immigrant sentiment gave people like Bernice license to act on their prejudice.

“Blinking back tears of misery and frustration, she kept her eyes straight ahead and knocked on the door. She had failed at everything, from keeping her brothers safe to making Bernice pay for what she’d done.”

Pia’s shame stems from her belief that she has let her family down in different ways, first struggling to care for her brothers and then—as she believes—abandoning them. Not only does she want to find the twins, but she also wants to make up for her actions. Failing to get any information from Bernice, she feels like she has let her family down all over again.

“He ran gentle fingers along her forehead, pushing a stray piece of hair from her eyes. ‘Try to relax, lass, there’s no reason to be so nervous.’ She sighed and rested a hand on his arm. It felt wonderful after all this time to finally enjoy human contact. She was surprised by how pleasant it could be.”

This is a major moment of character development; finding the twins has alleviated Pia’s physical and emotional suffering. Her enjoyment of this slight touch reflects her newfound peace of mind.

“Pia scanned the faces in the room, her heart overflowing with gratitude and love for each and every one of them. She couldn’t believe they were all here, ready to care for and help her, no matter what happened next. Dr. and Mrs. Hudson had been good to her all these years; Finn had found his way back home; and finally, with Rebecca’s help, she had unraveled the mystery of what happened to Ollie and Max. Most importantly, she’d found out for certain that they were alive.”

Even though Pia lost her family, she found a new one that loves and cares for her. For a long time, Pia’s shame about abandoning her brothers led her to think that she did not deserve love and comfort; the moment she let herself believe she did, she found a family again. The passage illustrates how far Pia has come.