Outcasts and rejects, pt 2
In the previous installment, we talked about those with mental illness who are distanced from acceptable society. But there's a contingent of people on this island who aren't mentally ill, but still aren't accepted by their families or welcome to participate normally in island functions. This contingent consists of those who have broken relationships with their family for some reason. There was a man whose death awhile back caused quite the stir in town. Why? Because he died alone, and was dead long enough before being discovered that his body had started to decompose. In island culture, this is abhorrent. The man had children -- why weren't they making sure he had food? He had siblings -- why weren't they checking on him? The broken relationship with his family seemed more a topic of conversation than his actual death or its cause. Then there's a woman who came to our island to give birth. She seemed pretty young, but said her husband was on the island that ...