Country Place: Analysis of Major Characters
"Country Place: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the intricate dynamics of relationships and societal norms in the fictional town of Lennox, primarily through the experiences of its major characters. The protagonist, Johnnie Roane, returns from World War II with dreams of happiness but faces the stark reality of his marriage to Glory, who struggles with the constraints of domestic life and her desire for independence. Mrs. Bertha Laughton Gramby, a wealthy widow, embodies traditional values but is conflicted by her attempts to control her son Mearns's future, ultimately leading to disappointment in his choices.
Glory's mother, Lillian Gramby, seeks status through her daughter's marriage, only to find her expectations unmet, prompting her to engage in a misguided affair. The character known as The Weasel acts as a disruptive force, revealing the darker truths of the town and its residents. Meanwhile, Pop Fraser, the local pharmacist, serves as a compassionate storyteller who offers insights into the hopes and fears of the townspeople, despite his admitted biases. Together, these characters illustrate the complexities of personal aspirations and societal pressures within their community.
Country Place: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Ann Petry
First published: 1947
Genre: Novel
Locale: Lennox, Connecticut
Plot: Social realism
Time: The late 1940's
Johnnie Roane, the protagonist, a young man who returns home from World War II with idealized expectations of a happy reunion with his wife, Glory, and a happy return to his hometown, Lennox. A sensitive and artistic man. Johnnie has squelched dreams of becoming an artist and moving to New York in order to keep Glory. His long-distance deification of Glory helped him to endure the war.
Mrs. Bertha Laughton Gramby, the wealthiest woman in town. Her advanced years, fortune, and race have granted her status as an icon in the predominantly white town. A living embodiment of New England tradition, Mrs. Gramby blindly idealizes the past. Her status as a widow has compelled her to subordinate her son Mearns's youthful ambitions and marital prospects in order to keep him in Lennox, yet she is disappointed by his later lack of ambition and his poor choice of Lil as a bride. His marriage, in middle age, will bear no heirs to the Gramby estate.
Glory Roane, Johnnie's beautiful and promiscuous young wife. She lives in a state of illusion, spurred by fantasies drawn from films and by fear of the realities she will face. Discovering her pleasure at the independence she acquires after Johnnie's departure, Glory is reluctant to succumb to the boredom and drudgery of domestic duties, turning instead to the glamour she finds at her job at Perkins' store, where she receives much attention from the men in town.
Lillian Gramby, a woman whose hawklike appearance denotes her hunger for wealth as a means of obtaining security and status. As Glory's mother, she worked as a seamstress to rear her daughter alone. After Glory's marriage, Lil, a manipulative and class-conscious woman, plots to marry Mearns Gramby, the town's most eligible bachelor. To her growing resentment and dismay, Lil discovers that the marriage is not what she had expected. Unable to find status and prestige as Lil Gramby, Lil temporarily finds refuge in an affair with Ed Barrell. She ends the relationship when she finds that she receives no benefit other than sexual relations, which she detests.
The Weasel, an observant, meddlesome outsider to Lennox. His malevolent manipulations of the townspeople's affairs lead to violence and upheaval. The Weasel speaks for Lennox as a representation of the ugly truths hidden beneath the town's tranquil surface; the Weasel gleefully brings these truths to light.
Pop Fraser, the town's pharmacist. He presents a compassionate point of view regarding Lennox. Pop justifies his status as storyteller with his intimate, detailed knowledge of the townsfolk, his customers. He claims to be able to tell them what they loved and what they hated, what they hoped for and what they feared, although he hastens to admit to an inherent prejudice against women.