The Coffin Tree: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Coffin Tree: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the complex lives of individuals navigating trauma, identity, and mental health within the context of immigration and familial challenges. Central to the narrative is a young Burmese woman whose upbringing is marked by emotional deprivation and the shadow of her revolutionary father. After a government coup forces her and her half-brother to flee to New York City, they struggle with poverty and isolation, exacerbated by her brother's mental illness and eventual death, which deeply impacts her mental state and leads to a suicide attempt.
The half-brother, Shan, is portrayed as an idle dreamer haunted by his troubled past and the abuse he faced, further illustrating the effects of trauma on mental health. The aunt figures, Auntie Lily and Auntie Rosie, provide a contrasting perspective, as they evolve under the pressures of political instability despite their initial ignorance. Other characters, such as the narrator's father and her grandmother, embody the themes of neglect and the burdens of legacy, highlighting the emotional void left by their harsh realities. Supporting characters, including neighbors and hospital patients, enrich the narrative by reflecting the narrator's struggles for connection and understanding. Ultimately, the character analyses reveal a poignant exploration of resilience amidst suffering and the quest for a sense of belonging.
The Coffin Tree: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Wendy Law-Yone
First published: 1983
Genre: Novel
Locale: Burma, New York City, and Chicago
Plot: Psychological realism
Time: The 1960's through the mid-1970's
The narrator, a young Burmese woman who immigrates to the United States. The daughter of a revolutionary, she is reared in a financially secure but emotionally deprived environment. Her mother died when she was born, and her father is rarely home. When she is twenty, the narrator and her half brother are sent from Burma to New York City because a government coup has made their safety uncertain. Friendless, they struggle to adapt to a new climate and culture but sink into a degraded state of poverty and isolation. When the brother is beset with mental illness, the narrator cares for him until his death. A year later, she attempts suicide. During her stay at a mental hospital, she struggles to cope with her past and find a reason to continue living.
Shan, the narrator's half brother. The son of a tribal woman who goes mad, he is tended by village women until adolescence. He is physically abused by his father and grows into an idle dreamer who is obsessed with looking for treasure. He is kind to his half sister, who is ten years younger. Once in America, he is unable to hold a job and lives increasingly in a fantasy world of threatening enemies and delusions of glory and power.
Auntie Lily and Auntie Rosie, older cousins of the narrator's mother who bring up the narrator in the family home. In their sixties, they are girlish and ignorant of the world but blossom under the hardships caused by the government coup.
The narrator's father, leader of the guerrilla People's Army in the Hill States of Burma. He is an impatient, brutal man who provides for his children but is too absorbed in his political cause to give them the attention and nurturing they need.
The narrator's grandmother, a bitter woman who dies when the narrator is young but whose tyrannical influence continues to be felt. She blames her daughter's death in childbirth on her granddaughter.
Morrison, a friend of the narrator's father who lives in New York. He and his callous wife fail to provide financial assistance or emotional support when the narrator and her brother arrive in the United States.
Benjamin Lane, a journalist in New York. He and his wife take the narrator and her brother into their household for a year.
Colonel Morgan, the narrator's elderly neighbor. His misunderstanding of her effort to befriend him prompts her suicide attempt.
Paddy, a patient at 3 East whose mental illness reminds the narrator of Shan's. Paddy withdraws more and more but writes long notes to the narrator describing his feelings.
Sarah, a wisecracking, cynical patient at 3 East.
Helga, a patient whom the other residents at 3 East like to tease.
Dr. Friday, the narrator's psychiatrist. The narrator is discouraged to discover that he has limitations, just like the patients.