Family: Analysis of Major Characters
"Family: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the complex dynamics and relationships within a family deeply affected by the legacy of slavery. The narrative is centered around Clora, the omniscient narrator and a former slave, whose tragic history includes the suicide of her owner and her own choice to poison herself rather than endure a life of bondage. Clora’s children illustrate varied responses to their circumstances: Always, her favorite daughter, becomes a hardened, ambitious woman driven by the bitterness of her past; Sun, who escapes by "passing" as white, achieves success in the North; and Peach, who is taken to Europe to live in affluence after being sold. Other significant characters include Sue Butler, the wife of the man who purchases Always, who serves as a foil in the story, and Loretta Butler, Always’ half-sister, whose anger and resentment stem from being left behind after Sun's escape. The narrative is further complicated by familial ties and conflicts, particularly involving Doak, Jr., the son of Always, whose destructive choices reveal deep-seated hatred and the impact of social upheaval on personal relationships. Overall, the analysis highlights themes of survival, identity, and the enduring scars of history within the family context.
Family: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: J. California Cooper
First published: 1991
Genre: Novel
Locale: The rural South
Plot: Historical realism
Time: The 1840's through the early twentieth century
Clora, the narrator, born a slave to a woman who kills herself and her master. Truly omniscient, Clora is a phantom, a time-traveler who poisoned herself rather than continue living as a slave. She stays on to look after her favorite child.
Always, Clora's favorite daughter, who loved all natural life as a child only to become embittered by slavery and to turn into an acquisitive, proud, and assertive woman, one who prospers through hatred and ambition.
Sun, another of Clora's children, born so light-skinned that he is able to escape north with the help of his half sister, Loretta. He “passes,” marries the daughter of an immigrant Frenchman, and becomes a successful businessman.
Peach, Clora's other surviving daughter. She is pretty and good-natured, and she learns the skills of homemaking as a personal maid to Loretta. She is sold to a Scotsman, who marries her and takes her away to live in affluence in Europe.
Sue Butler, the wife of Doak Butler, who buys Always and fathers her child. Sue is the mistress of the farm that Always tends with Doak's disabled brother Jason and his slave Poon. Sue is important as a foil in this novel.
Loretta Butler, Doak's second wife and the half sister of Always. She had helped Sun to escape north, but his refusal to send for her, to take her away from the poor, rural South, leaves her angry and mean-spirited. Joy comes to her in the guise of a child, Apple, whose father is Sephus, Always' son. In the confusing, incestuous family of this novel, Loretta becomes the aunt and mother of her half sister's grandchild.
Doak, Jr., the true son of Always. She swaps the boy, originally named Soon, with her master's son. He returns from the war to find his inheritance endangered. Always trades some of Doak, Sr.'s gold for her life and land of her own. Eventually, Doak, Jr.'s hatred of Always leads him to allow the Ku Klux Klan to ravage her land and livestock. He has, by this time, become the richest landowner in the county.