Was Peig Sayers a true fatalist?

Sir, – Joe Humphreys reads Peig as the personification of fatalism (“Do you take the Peig Sayers or the Friedrich Nietzsche view of life?”, Opinion, April 27th). While it is true Peig’s endurance in the face of hardship was formidable, the charge of helplessness does not stand up.

For example, she fired a rotten turnip at a male co-worker’s head with deadly accuracy, when he continued to mistreat her. She managed to get enough to eat from her stingy mistress, without being found out. She removed a well-off man’s coat from the seat of the train and sat down herself. When challenged, she replied she had bought her ticket the same as he had and remained seated.

Taken at face value, her expressions of acceptance in terms of divinely ordained providence may disguise helplessness, but on a second glance, they disguise proven survival strategies, effectively dealing with circumstances beyond her control. – Le dea-mhéin,

LILLIS Ó LAOIRE,