How is Terry transformed by her night in jail? Why does she think she deserves to be punished and do you agree?

How is Terry transformed by her night in jail? Why does she think she deserves to be punished and do you agree?

Terry looks around at the other women and can see she's different, that she knows she'll be released, whereas most of them are looking at much stronger sentences. I think she feels guilty about that, that she's so connected to other women - spiritually, at a deeper level - she can feel their despair.

I think her night in jail brought on an awakening of social conscience and a pang of guilt because, as she put it, because of luck or birth, her fate is different than the other women. So many people would react by feeling superior and I think her empathy and insights show what a special woman she is.

Terry didn't have children. I think seeing the pain the women went through when separated from their children helped her understand motherhood a little better. I think she ended up with more compassion for these women and others like them. Terry's life had been focused on the natural world, and not so much on people.

I must admit that I couldn't quite figure out this segment of the book. I couldn't figure out when in time it took place, and why she didn't ask one of her other family members for help. I also didn't understand why she thought she deserved to be punished. Punished for what? Driving with a suspended license?