EXHIBITS

St. Anne's Retreat

Analysis:

This example illustrates a theme presented in some legends portraying the female as an outsider vs. the male insider: the female breaks the rules in these legends and pays the penalty. She becomes ostracized as the nun who becomes pregnant, noted by the following segment: “St. Anne’s Retreat was originally established up Logan Canyon for Cache Valley’s Catholic nuns who needed to 'get away' from things for awhile. One nun got herself in trouble…she couldn’t walk the streets in her condition, so she was sent to St. Anne’s…”  (Folk Coll 8a: Group 7: Box 8, Folder 9: L2.1.12.1.34).  This may not only be illustrating the attitudes of the local Mormon religion of their perception of such a situation by stating that pregnant unwed women cause shame and should be hidden away—but this situation may also be inverse of reality and that it reflects their own attitudes about as if happened to their own. The punishment for breaking moral codes may even become rape and murder as can be seen in some legend versions.