Bedford Hills

Bedford Hills is the name of the women's prison in which Dorothy is interned in the narrative present. After Dorothy is found guilty for murder, assault, and arson, she is sentenced to life plus 20 years (227). Because she has no chance of freedom, Dorothy finds herself turning to writing to sustain her throughout her imprisonment. Although she knows that her reader is probably familiar with her story because of her highly-publicized trial, Dorothy is eager to set the proverbial record straight. She therefore devotes her endless expanse of time at Bedford Hills to penning her memoir.

In spite of the heinous crimes that Dorothy committed, she does not find her imprisonment at Bedford Hills just. She even resents people like Emma who are free. Meanwhile, she refuses to do any real introspective work. She spends all of her time in prison obsessing over her past, but feels no...