Dear Enemy

The 1915 sequel to Jean Websters 1912 book Daddy-Long-Legs is titled Dear Enemy. In 1916 it was one of the ten best-selling books in the United States. The narrative is told through a collection of letters sent by Judy Abbotts classmate and best friend from Daddy-Long-Legs Sallie McBride. Judy Jervis Pendleton Judys husband and the head of the orphanage where Sallie is serving as interim superintendent until a new superintendent can be hired Gordon Hallock a wealthy Congressman and Sallies later fiancé and the orphanages doctor bitter Scotsman Robin Sandy MacRae are among those who receive the letters. Sallies decisions regarding what to recount to each of her correspondents reveal a lot about her relationships with them and Webster effectively uses the epistolary framework. In the same way as Daddy-Long-Legs followed Judy Abbotts development from a small child to an adult Dear Enemy demonstrates Sallie McBrides development from a naive socialite to a wise and capable. It also tracks Sallies interactions with affluent politician Gordon Hallock and the orphanages doctor Dr. Robin MacRae. Sallies early reluctance to dedicate herself to her profession and her gradual awareness of how joyful the work makes her and how incomplete shed feel without it have an impact on both relationships.