I have learned a lot about Dorothy Day, from the movie Entertaining Angels and from various biographies. After going through all of that research I have concluded that she was a great person who did many great things. Dorothy Day lived a very fulfilling life in which she found what a lot of people do not ever get the chance to find, and that is her true calling. Although, her calling meant living a life of constant sacrifice and commitment, Dorothy was more than up for the job. Her calling was not limited to one cause, quite the contrary, during her life she fought for a large variety of causes. Many of these causes caused her to end up spending time in jail, but throughout all of her endeavors she remained strong and dedicated so the time in jail did not intimidate her. I was amazed after watching the movie because it seemed that she went completely from one end to the other due to her conversion process.
Dorothy
Dorothy Day half-length portrait, seated at desk, ...
Dorothy with BobbyHowever, after reading the biography it seems to me that she had been trying to find the right religion for her throughout her whole life and she finally found it in Catholicism.
I think in certain aspects she went too far, and that she also disregarded the feelings of certain people. I do not; of course, mean by this that I think what she did was wrong; there are just certain actions by Dorothy that sort of shocked me.
One of these times that shocked me was when without permission from her brother or his wife she started to invite homeless over. I think what she started was great, but the thought of somebody coming into my home and without asking turning it into a soup kitchen is not good. This brings me into the time when she takes more money without asking for the newspaper and she responds then we are fools. She says this because she believes that if they do not come up with the money, then the entire time they have been wrong in believing that what they have been doing is the right thing to do. This shows that she believes so much that she is doing God's work she risked being evicted and the whole operation being stunted. This immense faith in God is the sort of faith that many wish they could achieve but only few devote followers actually achieve. She later shows again how strong her faith is. She has such faith that it even stands up against the church when the archbishop tries to tell her to stop the Catholic Worker. One of the problems I have with her though is that I believe her faith causes her to be blind in certain aspects. This is in reference to how the people she houses treats and Moreton 3 respect her home. When Dorothy's daughter looks all sad and said they steal my stuff and Dorothy just dismissed it as if there was nothing wrong with it, I was shocked. If that scene of the movie is not fictional then I think that Dorothy made a mistake in not reprimanding those who stole from her daughter. I think that this is wrong for a few reasons. One, is because her main priority should be to be the best mother she can, and that definitely includes protecting her daughter from those who try to harm her. Two, because Dorothy doesn't have to been housing and feeding these people, and if she allows them to be stealing her possessions then they are not going to respect her and they will take advantage of her kindness. Finally, because it is a catholic shelter that they are running, therefore she should be trying to make them, better Catholics by following the commandments. Even if she didn't want to impose her religion on them she should have tried to at least make them more moral people.
Dorothy Day was, and still is, an inspiration to us all due to her persistence in fighting for good causes, even if the cause had no effect on her whatsoever. In conclusion, even though I do not agree with some of her actions, I think that she is a hero.
Dorothy Dalton
English: Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall (1924) film...
Real Photo Movie Card of Dorothy Phillips