WWJDD? - A Smelly Situation

I had a roommate, whom I'll call Avi, whose hygeine habits were a little looser than mine. She washed up every few days to every other week, usually didn't wash her hands after using the bathroom, and had a tendency to change in front of me during her time of the month. It was struggle for me to talk to her because I realized there was no nice way to tell her that she stunk without coming off as rude. But when other people complained to me about the lingering odor she left behind in a room, I eventually worked up the courage to talk to her about the situation. The conversation was a little awkward and I felt kind of guilty but I noticed she made more of an effort to keep up after herself.

Though initially I thought this situation would've been handled differently by John Dowell, I realized that I also needed prompting from other people to act. However, I was aware of the problem before my suitemates came to me. Dowell remained either in denial or completely unaware of what was going on around him.

He would've looked at whether or not Avi came from an upperclass family and if she appeared to have good morals at first. Though Dowell wouldn't acknowledge that Avi was depressed, he'd pity her for her lack of awareness of the stench she carried. That's kind of ironic since Dowell's out of the loop about a lot of the dirt his wife and Ashburnhams kicked up around him.

Dowell may also feel sympathy because Avi's a female in some sort of distress. Because of this, he'd take on the role of caretaker. He may do this by picking up her clothes, opening the window for fresh air, spray air freshener, take the trash out everyday, wipe off the dandruff and crumbs she left on the desk and drawers. Dowell may even suggest some popular soaps and lotions that he believed many females were drawn to.

If someone of higher authority suggested to Dowell or initiated in telling Avi the truth, he may follow their lead. Dowell respects and looks at class before acknowledging the actual person as a person.