Fall on Your Knees: Analysis of Major Characters

Author: Ann-Marie MacDonald

First published: 1996

Genre: Novel

Locale: Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada

Plot: Family saga; magical realism

Time: late 1890s through 1953

James Piper, Materia's husband. Crushed by disappointment with his marriage to Materia, James becomes obsessed with his beautiful daughter, Kathleen, who is a voice prodigy. He indulges her every whim, to the consternation of his wife, Materia. James neglects Materia and his other children in his efforts to nurture Kathleen's talent. He distances himself from her after realizing he is sexually attracted to her. He sends her to learn from the world's greatest teachers in New York City. After arriving in New York for an unannounced visit, James finds Kathleen in bed with a woman. He flies into a rage and rapes Kathleen, impregnating her. He brings her home and locks her in the attic for the duration of her pregnancy. Kathleen dies in childbirth and Materia commits suicide. Having not learned his lesson, James favors Kathleen's daughter, Lily, and comes to despise his daughter, Frances, having sexually molested and beaten her. He supplements his income by making bootleg liquor.

Materia (Mahoud) Piper, James's wife. It soon becomes clear, quite early in the novel, that Materia is simple-minded. She is young and passionate, but incapable of any in-depth conversation, nor does she have any interests outside of playing the piano. She elopes and marries quite young, at the age of 13. Her Lebanese family completely disowns her, and her father forbids any family members from contacting her. She quickly declines into a near stupor, losing James' affection. James has to force her to learn how to keep house and cook. She feels utterly incapable of loving her daughter, Kathleen, and resents James'extravagant attention on the girl. She loses one child to crib death, and bears two more daughters, whom she does love. After she has to choose between Kathleen or her twins, Materia cuts the infants from their mother's womb with a pair of scissors. Days later, she commits suicide, though it is implied that the suicide was accidental.

Kathleen Piper, James and Materia's daughter. Born with silky, red and golden hair and green eyes, Kathleen is a singing prodigy. Her father indulges her to a fault, and she becomes spoiled and arrogant, though quite lonely as she matures. She fails to recognize the social cues from her peers, and lives in deep self-absorption. Her only friend is her father, who strangely begins to distance himself from her once she reaches the age of 14. Kathleen's mother is incapable of loving her. James works tirelessly to cultivate Kathleen's extraordinary singing voice, eventually sending her to New York to learn from a world master, where she falls in love with a pianist named Rose. Kathleen also falls in love with life, absorbing the various cultures and the arts in New York. When her father arrives unannounced to find her in bed with Rose, he rapes Kathleen, impregnating her, then locks her in the attic at home for the duration of her pregnancy. She dies while trying to give birth.

Mercedes Piper, second daughter to James and Materia. Mercedes is the practical daughter, best described as long-suffering, sacrificing her own wishes and dreams to care for her father and siblings after their mother's death. She is also a proper girl and dresses quite conservatively, with high-neck collars and long hemlines. While at first it appears she gives up her dreams in order to care for her family, the situation turns ugly when her overweening religiosity causes her to lose touch with reality, and she realizes her family might not need her as much as she thinks. She takes control, adopting out Frances' baby to an orphanage, telling Frances and the family that he died. She decides that Lily might be an actual saint (even speaking with a Catholic bishop about her), only to reverse her assessment, believing that she might be evil incarnate. Lily must flee before Mercedes is able to act on her suspicions. Ultimately, all of Mercedes' manipulation and machinations in the lives of her family leave her isolated, dejected, and alone.

Frances Piper, third daughter to James and Materia. Frances is an enigma. After her sister, Kathleen, dies in childbirth, the independent, passionate, six-year-old Frances tries to baptize the twin babies in the creek, where one of them drowns. Sometimes bright and hilarious, sometimes severe and chilling, Frances evolves from a witty and likeable young girl to a racy and desperate teen. She remains a very small, blond woman whom people often mistake as a child. Frances has a powerful sixth sense, often seeming to know the truth in situations, in spite of the lies and fabrications in her family. Frances devises a plan to escape her father's oppression and Mercedes' manipulations, and to provide for Kathleen's daughter, Lily. She becomes an “entertainer” at a speakeasy dive, working for her mother's family (the Mahmouds), and saving her earnings so that Lily will have a means to escape the family. She also learns the truth about the Mahmoud family.

Lily Piper, Kathleen's daughter. An angelic, childlike girl who loves her sisters (who are really her aunts) and father regardless of their character flaws. She and her twin, Ambrose, are Kathleen's children. Kathleen dies as Materia cuts them from her womb in order to save their lives. Her sister (aunt), Mercedes, believes Lily performs miracles and she works to document events for Lily's beatification. But when Mercedes' sanity begins to unravel, Lily is forced to flee for her life. With Frances'help and Kathleen's old diary, Lily follows her mother's footsteps to New York City, where she meets Rose, and they create a household together.

Ambrose, Kathleen's dead infant. Following his dramatic birth with his sister Lily, and the death of their mother, a six-year-old Frances tries to baptize both babies in order to rescue their immortal souls. Ambrose slips through her arms and drowns. Though she doesn't remember the details, Frances knows he was born and then drowned. She believes, and convinces Lily to believe, that Ambrose is a physical presence—Lily's guardian angel.

Mr. and Mrs. Mahmoud, Materia's parents. The Mahmouds disown their daughter, Materia, after she elopes at the age of 13. They are strict Christian immigrants from Lebanon. Mrs. Mahmoud is dark and round, and wears her hair in a graying bun. Later, it's revealed that Mr. Mahmoud eloped with his wife when she was just 13—the exact circumstance over which they've disowned their daughter. They fail to acknowledge their duplicity.

Leo Taylor, driver for Mahmouds and James, Teresa's husband. Leo is a devoted father and husband, supporting his family in any way he can, even running bootleg liquor for James and the Mahmouds. Mistaking Frances for a child prostitute at the “speak,” he leaves the bootleg business behind. Frances uses his kind spirit and his desire to help, by luring him into a sexual encounter and conceiving a child with him.

Adelaide Taylor, Leo's wife. A tough but loving woman, Adelaide is tall and thin, with red hair and a lot of freckles. She is fiercely devoted to her husband (Leo) and their children, willing to go to any lengths to keep them from harm. Her best friend is Leo's sister, Teresa.

Teresa, the Mahmoud housekeeper. A deeply caring and compassionate black woman, Teresa shows great kindness to Frances, an act that Frances never forgets, and she turns Teresa into a symbol of motherly compassion. She is a devout Christian, with an air of dignity and determination.

Hector, Teresa's husband. Due to a head injury from an accident at the steel plant where he worked, Hector is barely able to walk or communicate. He cannot speak. Teresa must do everything for him from, pushing his wheelchair to feeding him and changing his diapers. The compassion that she, Adelaide, and Leo shower on him is a testament to the solidity of their familial bond.

Camille Jameel, Materia's sister, Mahmoud's daughter. Frances is horrified when she learns that this slow, lumbering, and hateful woman is her mother's sister. Camille is a victim, though; married off to a bad man (through a regretful choice on her father's part), she lives a solitary and depressing life. She really isn't even loved by her father, who regrets the choices he made on her behalf, but remains remorseless.

Tommy Jameel, Camille's husband. A small man, usually unshaven, with black eyes, Tommy is not a nice man. He runs a speakeasy, selling bootleg liquor. He uses his son, Boutros, to handle any physical dirty work, and hires Frances to work as an “entertainer,” which is little more than a topless dancer and prostitute.

Boutros, Tommy and Camille's son. A large olive-skinned man, with a large, flat nose and trunk-like arms, Boutros works for his father as a bodyguard and bouncer at the “speak” (an illegal speak-easy) in the slum known as the Coke Ovens district. He is all muscle and, like his Aunt Materia, he is simple-minded. He falls in love with Frances and dreams of running away with her to save her from her fate, though his feelings are not requited. He follows her home each night to ensure her safety. He flies into a rage after his father makes disparaging, filthy remarks about Frances, driving both of them headlong off a cliff.

Rose LaCroix, Kathleen's friend and lover. Rose is a gifted pianist, hired by Kathleen's voice teacher to accompany Kathleen in her lessons. When they first meet, Rose is very stiff and arrogant, dressing in pink, out-of-date dresses with puffy sleeves. She is a thin and tall 19-year-old black woman, with a tall forehead and a thin, straight nose that flares out at the nostrils. She has slightly oriental-looking eyes. At first, their relationship is antagonistic, but with time they develop respect and, eventually, love. They share a passion for music, which evolves into a passion for each other as they become lovers. After Kathleen's father forces her to move back home, Rose becomes a successful jazz musician. Eventually, Kathleen's daughter, Lily, finds Rose and they become a family of sorts.

Jeanne, Rose's mother. A 40-year-old white prostitute, with straight blond hair and thin blue eyes, Jeanne always dresses in long, satin evening wear, but no makeup. Her apartment is lush with red velvet and gold trim. She is described as languid, and is a morphine addict. Kathleen knows to keep her distance, regardless of her polite talk, and with good reason. It is Jeanne's anonymous letter to Kathleen's father that has him visit Kathleen, unannounced, in New York.

Mr. and Mrs. Benny Luvovitz, the Pipers' Jewish neighbors. The Luvovitzes raise kosher beef on the property next to the Pipers. They first meet Materia when she is pregnant with Kathleen. Mrs. Luvovitz teaches Materia how to cook, helps Materia with the birth, and becomes the closest thing to a friend for her. They have two sons. For a while, Benny acts as an indirect go-between for Materia and her family.

Mr. and Mrs. McIsaac, owners of the town's drug and confectionary store. A kind, childless couple who express affection for the Piper children, to James' consternation.