The Penalty

"The Penalty" by Gouverneur Morris is a novel set in the early 1900s that tells the story of Barbara Ferris, a 22-year-old sculptor balancing her dreams of artistic success with the complications of love. At the start, Barbara looks back at her many love experiences as she works to improve her self-image and deal with society's expectations for her. She wants to be known as an artist; then, she meets Blizzard, a beggar with no legs whose powerful face inspires her. Barbara hopes that Blizzard will lead to great changes, ultimately influencing her art and life, as their relationship explores suffering, how society judges people, and the quest to find one’s true self.