"The Conscience of the Court"

I think Laura Lee should have taken the chance to leave one of the times she could. Laura Lee obviously has a lot of love for Celestine and places Celestine’s wishes before her own. However, it doesn’t seem that Celestine feels the same way about Laura Lee in return. Celestine never answered Laura Lee’s letters about being in prison and wasn’t at the trial to help defend Laura Lee against the prosecutor. It seems like Celestine was using Laura Lee’s love for her own convenience and didn’t really care about her all that much. I think Laura Lee definitely should have left one of the many times but especially the last chance that was given to her when Celestine no longer had any money. Laura Lee had to leave her own family and friends to follow Celestine to an unknown area. I think Laura Lee made the move without truly thinking about the consequences for her husband and lifestyle.

I think the verdict in Laura Lee’s trial is unrealistic. I think at the time, Laura Lee wouldn’t be taken seriously as she was black and uneducated. Laura Lee had no witnesses or evidence to back up her story while the prosecutor had many witnesses and a lawyer to represent him. I don’t think the legal system would have been so accepting of this older black woman. I doubt that a judge would immediately believe her and just let her off without any consequences.

I think the most difficult conflict Laura Lee faces is the one with Celestine. It was most hard for Laura Lee to verbalize Celestine’s reaction to her being in jail. I think Laura Lee feels betrayed by Celestine’s silence but won’t truly accept the idea that Celestine would not come to her rescue. I think this is most difficult for her to face because she loves Celestine so much and cant understand why this same amount of love isn’t given to her in return. In her time of need Celestine bailed on her.