Chapter 2 Summary

For the next five years of her life, Helen lived in isolation. She developed a limited sign language, which her mother Kate understood. Helen learned to do a few chores – for instance, she would fold and put away her clothes – and she understood when her mother wanted something from upstairs.

A small vocabulary of signs was not enough, however. As Helen grew, so did her need to express herself. She began to have tantrums that she was unable to prevent or control. She felt something like regret after they passed.

Because of her rages, Helen's household tended to let her have her way whenever possible. Her one playmate, Martha, the daughter of the Keller's cook, understood Helen's signs, and generally allowed Helen to "tyrannize" her. The two girls played in the kitchen, fed the hens and turkeys and loved to hunt eggs outdoors...