Anywhere but Here: Analysis of Major Characters
"Anywhere but Here: Analysis of Major Characters" offers an in-depth exploration of the complex familial dynamics within the August family through the perspectives of key characters. Ann August serves as the primary narrator, reflecting on her turbulent relationship with her mother, Adele, during her formative years. Adele, characterized by her ambitious nature, imposes her dreams of a glamorous life in Hollywood onto Ann, often overshadowing her daughter's individuality. Carol, Adele's sister, shares her own narrative, revealing her life experiences, including her marriage to a French Jew during World War II and the impact of family secrets on her relationship with Ann. Lillian, the matriarch of the family, provides an additional layer to the narrative by discussing her feelings surrounding motherhood and her conflicted views on intimacy. The interplay between these characters highlights themes of ambition, familial obligation, and the quest for identity, making it a rich study of personal and generational conflict. This analysis invites readers to consider how aspirations and emotional struggles shape relationships across different eras and societal expectations.
Anywhere but Here: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Mona Simpson
First published: 1986
Genre: Novel
Locale: Bay City, Wisconsin, to Hollywood, California
Plot: Domestic realism
Time: The 1930's to the 1970's
Ann August, the narrator of four sections. Ann, the daughter of Adele August, recalls moments from her youth, especially the tensions in her relationship with her mother over a period of several years.
Adele August, the narrator of the last chapter. Mother to Ann, daughter to Lillian, and sister to Carol, Adele possesses lofty ambitions. She foists those desires on Ann, dragging her across America in search of a glamorous identity for both of them in Hollywood. Adele rarely sees beyond surface impressions and allows her myopic view to dominate and control her life and her daughter's.
Carol, the narrator of three sections, all of which are addressed to Ann. Sister to Adele, wife to Jimmy, and mother to Benny (who died in his late teens) and Hal, Carol is eleven years older than Adele. She worked as a teletype operator for the WACs during World War II, and she secretly married a French Jew who attempted to kill Adolf Hitler. Because he died on the train returning with Carol to Wisconsin, Carol did not tell her family that she had a husband before Jimmy. She finally tells Ann.
Lillian, the narrator of one chapter, which is addressed to Ann. Lillian, Adele and Carol's mother, describes her unplanned pregnancy with Carol, her relationships with both young women, and her experiences with sexual relations, which she ultimately finds repugnant.