The Living: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Living: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the lives and relationships of several key figures in the settlement of Whatcom during the mid-19th century. Central to the narrative is Clare Fishburn, a positive and enthusiastic character who navigates personal challenges, including threats to his life, while finding joy in family and community. His wife, June Randall Fishburn, contrasts with her more religious sister, Minta, as she embraces a practical life despite losing their wealth. Glee Fishburn, Clare's brother, exhibits a more detached approach to family life, drawn to the sea and fishing over domestic commitments.
Ada Fishburn Tawes embodies resilience, having journeyed to Whatcom with her family and later adapting to loss with faith and second marriage. John Ireland Sharp's tragic background shapes him into a scholarly yet solitary figure, while his wife, Pearl Rush, provides a counterbalance with her material aspirations. The narrative also highlights Beal Obenchain, whose cruelty and isolation depict a darker side of the community. Minta Randall Honer’s journey from privilege to hardship showcases her strength as she raises her family amid adversity. Lastly, Hugh Honer's academic ambitions and desire for connection illustrate the hopes and dreams of the younger generation in this evolving settlement.
The Living: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Annie Dillard
First published: 1992
Genre: Novel
Locale: Whatcom and the Bellingham Bay area in Washington
Plot: Historical realism
Time: 1855–1897
Clare Fishburn, who arrives in Washington with his family in 1855, at the age of five. He grows up in the developing settlement of Whatcom and works at various jobs, including high school teacher and real estate agent. He marries June Randall, his neighbor Minta Honer's sister, and they have three children. Clare finds happiness in all aspects of his life and is always enthusiastic. Even when Beal Obenchain threatens him with death, he still enjoys life to the fullest.
Ada Fishburn Tawes, who makes the overland journey from Missouri to Whatcom by covered wagon with her sons and husband. Her husband, Rooney, dies from asphyxiation while digging a well. She later marries Norval Tawes, a Methodist minister whom she outlives. Her religious faith is strong. She remains in the Whatcom area for the rest of her life.
Glee Fishburn, Clare's younger brother. He marries Grace, the niece of a Seattle madam. He works as a fisherman in Whatcom, rears several children, and falls out of love with his wife, preferring to stay on his boat and fish.
June Randall Fishburn, a Baltimore debutante. She gives up the chance to marry well in Baltimore and instead settles in Whatcom with her husband, Clare Fishburn. More practical than her pious sister Minta, she rears three children and remains steadfastly supportive of Clare, even after they lose their fortune in the panic of 1893.
John Ireland Sharp, who loses his parents and all four siblings when they drown in Bellingham Bay. Adopted by Axel and Martha Obenchain, he excels in the local school, attends Oberlin Academy in Ohio, teaches school in New York City, and returns to Whatcom as principal of its high school. Dreamy and melancholy, he supports socialist causes but loses faith in their efficacy. He prefers solitude to society.
Pearl Rush, the daughter of Whatcom's first settlers, touted as the village's most beautiful young woman. She marries John Ireland Sharp, and they rear several sons. She is far more materially acquisitive than her intellectual husband.
Beal Obenchain, a foster brother to John Ireland Sharp, a violent and cruel bully. As an adult, he lives a hermit's life in a hollowed tree stump near the beach, supporting himself by doing odd jobs. He considers himself intellectually superior to all of Whatcom and devises strange and cruel schemes, including threatening Clare Fishburn with death.
Minta Randall Honer, the daughter of a prominent Maryland senator. She marries Eustace Honer in Baltimore and moves with him to Whatcom. They have three children. Eustace dies by drowning in a logjam, and the two younger children die in a house fire. She moves to nearby Goshen with her surviving son, Hugh, and becomes a successful farmer and beloved foster mother to three half-Indian children.
Hugh Honer, who grows up lonely but strong. He studies science at the University of Washington and courts Vinnie Fishburn, the daughter of Glee and Grace. He later studies medicine at Johns Hopkins and plans to return to Whatcom to marry Vinnie and settle there.