There have been studies done linking childhood adversity to deficits in health later on in life. The main ambassador of this research is Dr. Nadine Burke Harris. She claims that children who have suffered from physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and more have a higher chance of cancer, COPD, suicide, heart disease, and other physical ailments later on in life. These ailments are caused due to the “fight or flight” response from the body when placed in a dangerous situation. Endorphins are released into the brain, and these endorphins are helpful when presented with an actual fight or flight situation but when these endorphins are released over and over again because of the situation the child is in the endorphins change from helpful to harmful. Dr. Nadine Burke Harris and her team developed a way to measure the amount of childhood adversity a child has been through. They call this measurement Adverse Childhood Experience or ACE for short. Each child has a “score sheet” and for every adverse activity the child has been through they receive a point on their ACE sheet. The higher the amount of points on an individual's ACE sheet, the more likely that child is to have the health ailments previously mentioned.
Now the Walls children have no doubt faced adversity in their lives. Their father is relying on substance and the mother is lazy and neglects the children whenever it is possible. Jeannette and Brian have both been sexually abused, all of the children have been emotionally abused as well. The only question is, is this type of abuse triggering the flight or fight instinct? Are the Walls children feeling that instinct or are they just so used to it that they have adapted to it so it does not affect them any more. This study only proves to be true if the fight or flight instinct is enacted. If it is not then there will be no ailments later on in life. So that is a crucial missing part of the puzzle. If the children’s fight or flight instinct is in full force every time they are around their abusers, in their case their parents, then yes, according to this study there will be side effects later on in life. This does not seem to be the case however. The children never try to run away or fight their parents at any point so far in the novel. This leads me to believe that the instinct is not recognized and the children have just accepted their lifestyle.
Now the Walls children have no doubt faced adversity in their lives. Their father is relying on substance and the mother is lazy and neglects the children whenever it is possible. Jeannette and Brian have both been sexually abused, all of the children have been emotionally abused as well. The only question is, is this type of abuse triggering the flight or fight instinct? Are the Walls children feeling that instinct or are they just so used to it that they have adapted to it so it does not affect them any more. This study only proves to be true if the fight or flight instinct is enacted. If it is not then there will be no ailments later on in life. So that is a crucial missing part of the puzzle. If the children’s fight or flight instinct is in full force every time they are around their abusers, in their case their parents, then yes, according to this study there will be side effects later on in life. This does not seem to be the case however. The children never try to run away or fight their parents at any point so far in the novel. This leads me to believe that the instinct is not recognized and the children have just accepted their lifestyle.