Black Water: Analysis of Major Characters
"Black Water: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the complexities of its central figures, particularly Kelly Kelleher, a young, idealistic political campaign worker. A summa cum laude graduate from Brown University, Kelly's life is marked by her pursuit of liberal causes and her devotion to her political idol, Senator George Dukakis. However, her journey is fraught with vulnerability and a struggle for identity, culminating in a tragic downfall during a fateful encounter with the senator at a Fourth of July picnic. This meeting, initially filled with excitement and potential, leads to a reckless car accident that results in Kelly's drowning, symbolizing the darker undercurrents of ambition and desire.
The senator, representing the waning hopes of the progressive Democratic Party, is depicted as both charismatic and morally compromised. His actions during the accident reveal a troubling shift from protector to negligent figure, as he abandons Kelly in her moment of crisis. The narrative also introduces Lisa Gardner, a school friend mirroring Kelly's internal conflicts, who engages in a suicide pact, further emphasizing themes of despair and the complexities of youthful aspirations. Together, these characters illuminate the intersections of ambition, identity, and the often-painful realities of political and personal ideals.
Black Water: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Joyce Carol Oates
First published: 1992
Genre: Novel
Locale: An island near Boothbay Harbor, Maine
Plot: Psychological realism
Time: The 1980's
Kelly Kelleher, a bright, young, idealistic political campaign worker. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Brown University with a bachelor's degree in American studies. Born Elizabeth Anne Kelleher to conventional parents, her nickname points to a second identity. There are aspects of her identity that her well-meaning but conservative parents do not see. Born with a wandering eye that has been corrected, Kelly nevertheless has a side of her that wanders from her parents' straight and narrow path. She becomes active in liberal causes sponsored by the Democratic Party and works on the campaign of presidential candidate George Dukakis. During this campaign, she demonstrates a tendency to get caught up in the romance of things and to not see warning signs of failure or trouble. She is so crushed by the defeat of Dukakis that she suffers a breakdown, a crisis of identity that makes her lose her bearings. Although she has an underlying vulnerability—an inability to be clear about herself that lurks under the surface of her upbeat, optimistic, persona—Kelly rebounds. Although a recent love affair has foundered, Kelly is thrilled when she learns that she and her favorite politician both will be attending a Fourth of July picnic at a friend's home on a small island in Maine. This prestigious senator was the subject of her college senior thesis, and her excitement at the prospect of meeting her hero is ratified by a horoscope she reads with her friends the night before the party. It counsels her to “go for it,” to give vent to her wishes and desires, and suggests that she has been cautious for too long. This Scorpio horoscope validates Kelly's image of herself as a modern American girl, entitled to a strong sense of personal agency and to self-fulfillment. The sense of something “in the stars” suggested by the fact that she consults the horoscope anticipates her fate the following day. She is, in fact, involved in something that cannot be stopped. There are hints of a reckless, self-destructive side to Kelly, as if she is giving in to a dark death wish in her unconscious. When she meets the senator at the party, they immediately take to one each other. Even though she is young enough to be his daughter, there is an erotic current between them. Flattered by the fact that the powerful senator is lavishing attention on her, she agrees to leave the party and go away somewhere with him. Although he has had too much to drink, Kelly is over-awed and permits the senator to drive recklessly along an un-paved back road. The car plunges into the brackish black water of the marshland. As the car sinks, she relives her life, filled with hope and expectation. Despairing of rescue by the senator she has seen as a beacon shining in the darkness, she is overcome by the swampy water, and she drowns.
The senator, a powerful, charismatic man widely known as the last, best hope of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Flirting with Kelly at the Fourth of July picnic, he seems at first protective and paternal. He is obviously past his peak and encourages Kelly's adulation as a way to boost his flagging sense of self-esteem. To Kelly, however, he remains an impressive figure by dint of both his political prestige and his authority as a mature male. When he is responsible for the automobile accident in which Kelly drowns, he does not behave well. He leaves Kelly trapped in the car to drown and even kicks her in the face to free himself. As he runs from the scene of the accident, he begins to invent a cover story that makes Kelly the culpable agent, but it is clear that the filthy black mud covering him is symbolic of his political future. He will never be nominated by his party and never be elected president; he will be derided and mocked. In the space of one day, the senator has been transformed from a potentially great leader to a libertine, or even to a figure of gothic power whose transgressive behavior has ended in the death of a young woman.
Lisa Gardner, a school friend of Kelly. She instigates a suicide pact with her twin sister, Laura. Lisa's name echoes Kelly's (Elizabeth), and she mirrors Kelly's death wishes and doubleness.