Ceremony in Lone Tree: Analysis of Major Characters
"Ceremony in Lone Tree: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the complexities of familial relationships against the backdrop of an emotional and symbolic birthday celebration. Central to the narrative is Walter McKee, who grapples with a sense of responsibility towards his father-in-law, Tom Scanlon, while also confronting his own feelings of isolation and decay within his family dynamics. His wife, Lois McKee, represents a contrasting perspective, having distanced herself from the rural struggles of Lone Tree for a suburban life, yet ultimately facing the realities of her past upon their return.
The younger generation includes Etoile Momeyer, a confident teenager who embodies the adventurous spirit of her heritage, as she challenges family norms and pursues her cousin Calvin McKee, who struggles with self-expression due to his stutter. The tensions are further amplified by Gordon Boyd, McKee's old friend, whose attempts to sow discord highlight the underlying emotional hypocrisy of the family. The aging Tom Scanlon serves as a nostalgic link to a bygone era, his quiet passing signaling the end of a historical chapter in Lone Tree. Through its cast of characters, the analysis delves into themes of duty, denial, and the complexities of identity within the framework of family and tradition.
Ceremony in Lone Tree: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Wright Morris
First published: 1960
Genre: Novel
Locale: Nebraska
Plot: Family
Time: Mid-twentieth century
Walter McKee, who is responsible for organizing his father-in-law's ninetieth birthday celebration, held in the prairie ghost town of Lone Tree. Although McKee is tired of the continual presence of Tom Scanlon, his father-in-law, he labors on under a sense of duty. This condition of denial accounts for an emotional decay in McKee, a corrosive element that distances him from his wife, family, and friends. McKee focuses on this lack of understanding, which produces a continual state of perplexity over the most normal circumstances of life. McKee's return to Lone Tree with the Scanlon clan reinforces his sense of isolation in the world. With the quiet death of the old man and the marriage of his niece and nephew, McKee is vindicated in his consistent decency.
Lois McKee, McKee's wife, who long ago abandoned Lone Tree for Lincoln, Nebraska, and exchanged rural hardships for a streamlined existence in the suburbs. With McKee, she builds a life of denial in an attempt to control the present; she maintains a sense of propriety at all costs. Her return to Lone Tree brings a certain foreboding of exposure and humiliation in front of her family, and in many ways this is played out. Lois not only excoriates McKee for the coward that he is; she also demolishes Boyd's pathetic fantasy of unrequited love for her.
Etoile Momeyer, the daughter of Bud and Maxine, a self-assured young teenager. Proud and confident in her physical beauty and spirited individualism, she clashes with her family and in-laws over everything. It is no surprise that Etoile plots to win and marry her cousin Calvin. After a hectic courtship in which she plays the dominating role, they return to Lone Tree as a married couple. Etoile clearly embodies the frontier spirit of her grandfather and is perhaps more at home in the lawless prairie than any of them.
Calvin McKee, the great-grandson and physical embodiment of Tom Scanlon, with the same adventurous spirit. Calvin is given to either wandering off or disappearing on prospecting jaunts. He has no idea how to handle Etoile's attentions. Handicapped by a stutter, Calvin is afraid to express himself verbally, which accounts for his overreliance on physical activity. Calvin eventually marries Etoile after a dramatic buggy rescue on the way to Lone Tree.
Gordon Boyd, McKee's boyhood friend, who arrives from Acapulco with his new girlfriend. Keen on upsetting McKee and exposing all the emotional hypocrisy and shortcomings of his family, Boyd proves himself to be a derelict and a failure. Despite his efforts to drive a wedge between Lois and McKee, he is forced to recognize the pointlessness of his attempts and admit that McKee has a viable life after all.
Tom Scanlon, the founder and final resident of Lone Tree. He is trapped in the past and refuses to enter the twentieth century. His enforced stay with the McKees in Lincoln unleashes a surge of impish behavior, and his return to Lone Tree is accompanied by flashbacks more real than his present life. On the morning of his ninetieth birthday, Scanlon dies quietly, marking the passing of the pioneer era.
Maxine Momeyer, Etoile's mother, the antithesis of her proud sister, Lois McKee. Washed out by a life of drudgery and economic deprivation, Maxine ironically provides the stable center for the Lone Tree ceremony by taking charge of practical matters.
Bud Momeyer, Maxine's husband, who has been a mail carrier for twenty-eight years. He provides a childish lightheartedness at the somber celebration. His playfulness and quirky demeanor contrast with the more conventional aspects of the family.