Nelly Bly: Many identities in search of the truth

Nelly Bly: Many identities in search of the truth

1. Factory girl. Servant. Criminal. Nelly Bly was a
   journalist
   in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and she took on all these identities and more in her quest to expose the darker sides of American society. She wrote articles about the dangers of factory life, the terrible treatment of female prisoners, and the dishonesty in the state government. But perhaps her most famous role was as a woman deemed “
   mad
   .” She took on this role to get into the Women’s Lunatic
   Asylum
   on New York’s Blackwell’s Island.

Proving herself

2. Why did Bly try to enter Blackwell’s Island in the first place? Well, in 1886, Bly was seeking a job as a reporter in New York City. But she faced a serious problem: journalism was mostly done by men, and so no one wanted to hire her. Fed up with this discrimination, she stormed into the offices of the New York World, one of the top newspapers at the time. She told the editor she wanted to write an article about immigrants in the city. He rejected the idea but proposed another one. If Bly was willing to get herself committed to Blackwell’s Island and write an
   exposé
   about her experiences, she could have a job. She accepted. Bly’s eventual exposé would be published as a series of articles and then as a book entitled Ten Days in a Mad-house.

Bly’s experience on Blackwell’s Island

3. Bly had a plan to get into the asylum. She pretended to have lost her memories, claiming to remember only her name and that she had lost suitcases. Her act was so effective that the police brought her to a judge who quickly sent her to Blackwell’s Island.
4. When she arrived at the asylum, she discovered many upsetting facts. The food was so bad that many women could barely eat it. Patients were bathed in ice-cold water. The women had to sit on hard benches for fourteen hours every day. During that time, they weren’t allowed to move or speak. Some of the staff members were cruel. And, there were about 300 patients who were locked into their rooms at night. Bly realized that if there was a fire, it would be impossible to unlock each door and get all the women out in time.

5. But Bly’s most shocking discovery was that some of the women didn’t have mental health challenges. They were there only because their families didn’t want to support them or because they didn’t speak English. Bly wrote about a conversation with one such woman:

6. Bly was very upset by the way women were declared insane without any real chance to prove that they weren’t. She stated that it would be better to be accused of murder, because at least accused murderers have a chance to prove their innocence.
7. After ten days in the asylum, the New York World got Bly released.

The impact of Bly’s exposé

8. Bly’s bravery led to an investigation. This resulted in the asylum receiving $850,000 for better food, staff, and rooms. In addition, cruel staff were fired, and changes were made to ensure that only those truly facing mental health challenges were sent to Blackwell’s Island.