Attachments: Analysis of Major Characters
"Attachments: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the intricate lives and relationships of its central characters, delving into themes of connection, self-deception, and the search for identity. The protagonist, Nadine, is portrayed as an isolated individual who longs for deeper attachments, expressing a fascination with Siamese twins, particularly Amos and Eddie Smith, whom she eventually marries. Nadine's character evolves as she navigates her chaotic world, often feeling alone in her awareness of the absurdities around her.
Dianne Shapiro, Nadine's best friend, contrasts sharply with her, embodying self-deception as she attempts to find contentment in her roles as a mother and wife, despite the reality of her husband's condition. The twins, Amos and Eddie, who have their own complex backstory of abandonment and eventual fame, reveal the dichotomy of their personalities, especially after their surgical separation.
Carly, Dianne's daughter, experiences neglect during crucial developmental phases, leading her down a troubled path that Nadine grapples with, ultimately reflecting on her own failures. Lastly, the presence of Dr. Marianne Story, a professor who represents a potential guiding figure for Nadine, underscores the impact of loss and disillusionment in her life. This character analysis provides a rich examination of human relationships and the ways individuals cope with their realities.
Attachments: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Judith Rossner
First published: 1977
Genre: Novel
Locale: Los Angeles, New York City, and Bootsville, New Hampshire
Plot: Bildungsroman
Time: The 1950's to the 1960's
Nadine, the protagonist and narrator. The only child of an exclusively devoted couple, Nadine feels isolated and yearns to be a Siamese twin, so that she might be forever attached to someone else. She is fascinated by newspaper and magazine accounts of Amos and Eddie Smith, twins joined at their abdomens by an extra band of liver. In her twenties, she meets the twins, marries Amos, and bears his two children. The only developing character, Nadine spends her youth and early adulthood frantically trying to make sense of the chaotic world in which she lives, frequently screaming in disbelief at the blindness of others. She is the only one who seems aware of ludicrous or dangerous situations.
Dianne Shapiro, a child prodigy, later a lawyer, and Nadine's best friend. Unlike Nadine, Dianne protects herself by living a lie. She lies to herself that she will be perfectly happy as a full-time mother, withholds from her obstetrician the fact that her husband is a Siamese twin, and insists that her daughter's friends are “nice, quiet kids” when in reality they are school dropouts and drug addicts. Because of her self-deception, Dianne is able to maintain her equanimity.
Amos Smith and Eddie Smith, Siamese twins and the husbands of Nadine and Dianne, respectively. Abandoned by their widowed father at the age of four, the twins grew up in a foster home. They later joined a side show, from which they retired in wealth to live in Beverly Hills. In personality, the twins are opposite. When their bodies are surgically separated, their characters reverse. Like Dianne, Amos and Eddie are unaware of the true nature of conditions around them.
Carly, the daughter of Dianne and Eddie. Nadine tends Carly during Dianne's long and debilitating postpartum depression, and she continues to do so after Dianne recovers and returns to work. When Nadine has her own child, however, she unwittingly neglects Carly, except in seeing to her basic physical needs. As an adolescent, Carly experiments with marijuana and eventually runs away. Nadine blames herself for that catastrophe.
Marianne Story, a professor at Bard College, where Nadine acquires most of her postsecondary education. Although Dr. Story appears only in the beginning of the novel, she is significant as a potential role model for Nadine. When she learns that Dr. Story is dying of cancer, Nadine becomes completely disoriented and leaves college in the middle of her last year.