The Destructive Atomic Bomb

In Terry Williams's piece The Clan of One-Breasted Women, she illustrates the harmful effects of the atomic bomb testing on her family and the many other people that were present during the testings. The scale of the testings is enormous as it ultimately takes the lives of many of the "virtual uninhabitants" and ends up "contaminat[ing]" the surrounding area, people, and animals. The area north of the Nevada Test Site was chosen because it was "virtually uninhabited" and deemed as a safe area for testing.

Through Williams's piece, she demonstrates her own personal family history and experiences as well as her own personal growth as a woman. Growing up as a Mormon, Williams was restricted to the limits put upon "a young girl... in Mormon culture": she was told to be obedient and respect authority and "not to 'make waves' or 'rock the boat.'" But through her constant painful experiences and eventual memories, she develops a new viewpoint. The girl who once unwaveringly "listened, observed, and quietly formed her own opinion and rarely asked questions" became a powerful demonstrator in the demand for rights. By becoming "a midwife to the rebirth of [her family's] souls," she suffers the pain and ultimate price of their deaths. These painful memories serve as a transforming factor in Williams's own personal journey from a "tolerat[or] of blind obedience" to a strong, clearheaded demonstrator. The atomic bomb not only blew apart people's families and lives but also blew life into Williams's personal journey and transformation.