Lie Down in Darkness: Analysis of Major Characters
"Lie Down in Darkness" is a novel that intricately explores the complexities of familial relationships through its major characters, particularly the members of the Loftis family. Peyton Loftis, the youngest daughter, grapples with deep emotional scars stemming from her mother Helen's rejection and her father's overindulgence. This tumultuous relationship culminates in a disastrous wedding and Peyton's subsequent spiraling descent into despair and infidelity, ultimately leading to her tragic suicide. Milton Loftis, her father, struggles with his stagnant career and failed attempts to mediate between his wife and daughters, finding solace in alcohol and an affair, while Helen's fixation on her handicapped daughter Maudie blinds her to the needs of Peyton and fosters resentment. Maudie becomes the sole focus of Helen's affections, further alienating Peyton. The narrative also explores the impact of external relationships, including Milton’s mistress Dolly Bonner and priest Carey Carr, who both reveal the emotional isolation of the characters. Harry Miller, Peyton's husband, represents both love and despair, as he becomes a victim of Peyton's inner turmoil. Together, these characters illustrate a profound exploration of love, rejection, and the longing for acceptance within a fractured family dynamic.
Lie Down in Darkness: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: William Styron
First published: 1951
Genre: Novel
Locale: Virginia and New York City
Plot: Psychological realism
Time: Mid-twentieth century
Peyton Loftis, the youngest daughter of Helen and Milton Loftis. She is emotionally scarred by her mother's continuous rejection and her father's smothering love and indulgence. At her sixteenth birthday party, Peyton, encouraged by her father, drinks alcohol and infuriates her mother. When Helen attempts to make Peyton leave the party, Peyton proclaims her hatred for her mother. Later that evening, Peyton becomes aware of her father's infidelity, causing further distress. She soon leaves home for college, and her subsequent attempts to return lead only to further estrangement. She eventually leaves school for New York City, where she meets and marries Harry Miller. The wedding—Peyton's last attempt to return home and win her mother's approval—ends with Peyton and Milton both becoming drunk, Peyton telling Milton to stop smothering her, and Helen declaring that she despises Peyton. Peyton and Harry leave for their honeymoon, but their marriage already is doomed. Seemingly incapable of love and yet insanely jealous of Harry's perceived indiscretions, Peyton begins sleeping with other men. She returns to Harry, simultaneously blaming him and begging his forgiveness. Harry leaves her, and Peyton's letters to her father reveal the depths of her despair. She kills herself by jumping naked from a building in New York, and her body is left unclaimed and buried in Potter's Field until Harry rescues it.
Milton Loftis, a lawyer in Port Warwick, Virginia, whose career is stagnant and whose family life is miserable. He is constantly put down by his wife, Helen, who assumes moral superiority and who maintains financial control of the family by means of a substantial inheritance. Milton turns to alcohol and eventually to Dolly Bonner to find solace. He virtually ignores his eldest daughter, Maudie, but is lovingly obsessed with Peyton and constantly tries to serve as mediator between her and Helen. Although Milton behaves miserably when Maudie is critically ill, wandering drunk through Charlottesville while she is in surgery, Maudie's death brings a temporary reconciliation with Helen. Events at Peyton's wedding, however, bring not only another split with Helen but also conflict with Peyton, who screams at him to stop smothering her. Milton's subsequent contacts with Peyton are through letters, and he is devastated when he receives word of her death. Helen rejects his attempts at reconciliation and even refuses to go in the same car with him to Peyton's funeral. At the novel's end, with Peyton reburied in Port Warwick, Milton is ready to leave Dolly but has no sense of purpose or direction.
Helen Peyton Loftis, Milton's wife, who dotes entirely on the handicapped eldest daughter, Maudie, and bitterly resents the hold that Peyton has over Milton. She constantly rejects Peyton's attempts to win her love. Following Maudie's death, Helen irrationally blames Peyton for it. She reconciles with Milton, however. After Peyton announces her desire to return home for her wedding, Helen throws herself into plans for it. At the wedding, she becomes angry and once again rejects Peyton. Despite counseling from Carey Carr, Helen is unable to find meaning in her life or to feel love. Following Peyton's death, she rejects Milton's attempt at reconciliation and steels herself to face life alone.
Maudie Loftis, the physically handicapped and mentally retarded daughter of Helen and Milton who becomes the sole object of her mother's affection. The night before leaving for college, Peyton attempts to assist Maudie but allows her to fall. Although Maudie receives only a slight bruise and is undisturbed by the fall, Helen viciously attacks Peyton. Helen later suggests that the fall contributed to Maudie's death.
Dolly Bonner, Milton's mistress, who is devastated when Milton returns to Helen after Maudie's death. She readily accepts him back after the Loftises fight at Peyton's wedding. Eagerly anticipating Milton's impending divorce, Dolly is crushed when she realizes, at Peyton's funeral, that she is losing Milton again, probably permanently.
Carey Carr, the Episcopal rector at Helen's church to whom Helen turns in her despair. Strongly attracted to Helen, Carey listens and seeks to comfort her but is unable to offer any real help. His own belief in God is so uncertain that he can only mildly protest when Helen angrily asserts that God does not exist.
Harry Miller, a Jewish artist whom Peyton meets in New York and marries. He loves Peyton and attempts to help her but is so tormented by her unfaithfulness and her unfounded attacks on him that he leaves her. When Harry learns of Peyton's death, he has her body exhumed from Potter's Field and shipped to Port Warwick for reburial.