The Family Reunion: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Family Reunion: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the intricate dynamics of a family grappling with change, memory, and reality within the context of an aristocratic English estate, Wishwood. Central to the narrative is Amy, Dowager Lady Monchensey, who embodies the struggle to maintain familial bonds and traditions despite the passage of time. Her son, Harry, returns home burdened by guilt and haunted by past actions, including the murder of his wife, and must confront the ghosts of his family history. Agatha, Amy's sister, serves as a voice of reason and reality, contrasting with the other family members—such as Ivy and Violet—who remain oblivious to the unfolding changes around them.
Supporting characters, including Mary, Amy's niece, and Downing, Harry's servant, further illustrate the generational tensions and individual quests for autonomy. As Mary seeks to escape the constraints of familial expectations and Agatha encourages Harry to pursue a deeper understanding of his circumstances, the narrative reveals the complexities of identity and the often painful recognition of the past. The presence of supernatural elements, like the Eumenides, underscores the psychological and emotional struggles faced by the characters. This analysis invites readers to consider the profound effects of family legacy and personal choices within a shifting societal landscape.
The Family Reunion: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: T. S. Eliot
First published: 1939
Genre: Play
Locale: England
Plot: Symbolic realism
Time: Twentieth century
Amy, Dowager Lady Monchensey, an old member of the English aristocracy. She is determined to preserve the family estate, Wishwood, as it has always been and use it as a means to keep the family together. Like most people who are used to giving orders, she believes that her desires eventually will be fulfilled, in this case her wish that her oldest son will return to take over the estate and marry her ward. As she dies, she begins to see that she has been living in an unreal world; some of the things happening around her then begin to make sense.
Harry, Lord Monchensey, Amy's son. Having returned home for the first time in eight years, he finds his family still trying to deny any change in the world. While he was gone, he had murdered his wife, and he is currently searching for some satisfactory way of life. In the few hours that he spends at Wishwood, he finds that the ghosts that have been following him are not his at all, but his father's, and that he is really pursuing them. He soon leaves to seek out the deeper reality that he has just glimpsed.
Agatha, Amy's sister. Many years prior to the action of the play, Agatha fell in love with her sister's husband but convinced him that he must not murder Amy because of her pregnancy. At the time of the play, Agatha is making her first visit to Wishwood in thirty years. She is the only one of the older members of the family who has any sense of reality or who is aware of the changes that have taken place around them. She helps Harry to glimpse reality and advises him to leave immediately.
Downing, Harry's servant and chauffeur. Although he has seen the Eumenides, he realizes they have nothing to do with him and is therefore able to treat the subject with equanimity. He has complete faith in his master's ability to cope with the situation.
Mary, Amy's niece and ward. Although she is aware of Lady Monchensey's plans for her marriage to Harry, she knows that this will not do. Upon Harry's return, she finally finds the courage to leave the estate and enlists the aid of Agatha in carrying out her plans.
Ivy and Violet, Amy's other two sisters. They understand nothing of what is going on around them, not even that they are old and no longer a part of a moving world. Their chief interest in life is Amy's will.
Colonel the Honorable Gerald Piper and the Honorable Charles Piper, brothers of Amy's deceased husband. Much like Amy's sisters, they are living in the past, but they retain their confidence that they can meet the challenges of a changing world.
Dr. Warburton, an old friend of the family who is called in to try to diagnose Harry's trouble.
The Eumenides (ew-MEHN-ih-deez), the evil spirits that Harry believes are following him. They are seen by him and Downing, as well as by Agatha and Mary.
Denman, a parlor maid.
Sergeant Winchell, a policeman in the local village.