I think the portrayal of leprosy is interesting, but I always get a little caught up in the reaction of everyone to it.
Lord Foul's Bane was published before I was born, so I can't speak about American society back then. But by the time I was a kid, leprosy really didn't seem to be on anyone's radar. Folks might see someone sick in an unsightly way, but I don't think anyone would assume leprosy. And honestly, I think the general reaction to finding out someone had leprosy would be more "that's still a thing?!" like finding out someone had the black plague or small pox.
To be fair, my experiences are not universal. It's just very strange to me and maybe gets in the way of me empathizing with Thomas as much as I'm intended to.
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Lord Foul's Bane was published before I was born, so I can't speak about American society back then. But by the time I was a kid, leprosy really didn't seem to be on anyone's radar. Folks might see someone sick in an unsightly way, but I don't think anyone would assume leprosy. And honestly, I think the general reaction to finding out someone had leprosy would be more "that's still a thing?!" like finding out someone had the black plague or small pox.
To be fair, my experiences are not universal. It's just very strange to me and maybe gets in the way of me empathizing with Thomas as much as I'm intended to.