Montgomery's Children: Analysis of Major Characters
"Montgomery's Children: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the lives of several key figures from a community shaped by complex social dynamics and personal struggles. Central to the narrative is Gerald Fletcher, an African American boy marked by a physical trait that leads to his father's abusive treatment. As he navigates childhood friendships and traumatic experiences, including the loss of his friend Iceman, Gerald's journey reflects the impact of familial relationships on individual development. Hosea Malone represents a fall from grace; once a community leader, he abandons his responsibilities after his son's birth, only to return as a drug dealer, highlighting the moral ambiguities of success in a changing society.
Josephine Moore, a troubled girl facing abuse and societal rejection, embodies resilience as she confronts her traumatic past, while Meredith Malone's harrowing story of guilt reveals the psychological toll of her decisions. Norman Fillis, with his mystic visions, adds a layer of complexity, showcasing the intersections of madness and enlightenment. The character of Iceman, a gentle soul cut short by tragedy, reinforces the theme of lost potential in the community. Together, these characters illustrate a poignant tapestry of resilience, trauma, and the search for redemption within the challenges of their environment.
Montgomery's Children: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Richard Perry
First published: 1984
Genre: Novel
Locale: Montgomery, New York
Plot: Psychological realism
Time: 1948–1980
Gerald Fletcher, a bright and sensitive African American who is a boy at the novel's opening. He has a brown mark on the white of his right eye, a trait inherited from his grandfather. Gerald's father views the mark as a sign that the boy has also inherited the grandfather's irresponsibility, and he inflicts brutal beatings on Gerald for normal childish pranks. Gerald, scarred by his father's lack of love, becomes quiet and guarded at home. At school, Gerald first befriends Josephine, then ignores her because of peer pressure. Later he apologizes, and she initiates him into sex. He shares confidences and adventures with his friend Iceman, but when Iceman dies, Gerald closes off his emotions and concentrates on scholastic achievement. By 1980, Gerald is one of Mont-gomery's successes, with a master's degree and an accomplished wife. Finding his middle-class life empty, he takes leave from it to reconcile his failed relationships with Josephine and with Norman.
Hosea Malone, a short, slim man with a spotted complexion. Originally a pillar of Montgomery's black community and church, Hosea abandons his faith and family when his son is born blind and witless. He drifts to Manhattan and works as an elevator operator. Fourteen years later he returns, wearing expensive suits and bringing a car full of drugs. Settling down with Alice Simineski, a fat white woman who financed his entry into the drug trade, he becomes a leading citizen. Everyone knows that his prosperity comes from selling drugs, but because of changing social mores and Hosea's generous bribes, no one interferes. When he visits his former wife, Meredith, she tells him that she smothered their baby years ago. Hosea cautions her to keep quiet about it. Later, when Meredith finally confesses to the police, an ambitious district attorney tries to punish Hosea by charging him as an accomplice, but Hosea's money and noninvolvement save him.
Norman Fillis, a tall, light-skinned school custodian. In 1948, he has visions that push him into mysticism and madness. The natural world explodes into blue, white, and silver slivers around him, and he sees scenes from African history in a furnace fire. Watching fire becomes an obsession for him. He also “discovers” that black people originally had the power of flight and eventually will reacquire it. He tries to teach Gerald how to fly and tells other bizarre secrets to the boy. Gerald humors him but refuses to become a disciple. Norman's strange behavior leads to several stays in mental hospitals, but he always returns to Montgomery, where he preaches of fire and flight. At the age of seventy-one, after meeting Gerald again, Norman believes that the Dispensation of Flight has arrived. He takes on a condor's form and soars through the sky, then falls into the courthouse cupola and crashes to the ground.
Josephine Moore, a one-handed girl with gray eyes and a breathtakingly beautiful face. Josephine moves with her parents to Montgomery when she is fifteen years old. As Pastor Mclain's cousin, she wins immediate acceptance by the respectable black adults, but her new schoolmates reject her. Josephine reacts with proud, stoic dignity. At home, she is molested repeatedly by her stepfather. She also has nightmares about chickens, axes, and cars rushing through the night. Convinced that Gerald also wants her only as a sex object, Josephine sends him away. She stabs and kills her step-father the next time he forces himself on her. After spending six years in prison, she eventually finds Gerald, and they have a brief, passionate reunion, but she remains a wounded soul.
Meredith Malone, a sensual but hard-pressed woman. Overwhelmed when her husband, Hosea, leaves, she suffocates her deformed baby and buries him in the backyard. Living on money Hosea sends, she manages to bring up their six daughters, but guilt and sexual frustration turn her hollow and morose. At the age of sixty-seven, she digs up the baby's bones and turns herself in so she can clear her conscience and go to heaven.
Zacharias Poole, a plump, bespectacled boy also known as Iceman, a nickname bestowed by his peers who consider him to be “uncool.” His intellectual curiosity, honesty in the face of social lies, and gentleness toward animals make him unique among Montgomery's youth. He dies in 1961, electrocuted while trying to rescue a kitten from a tree.
Pastor Melinda Mclain, the minister of the black community's church, an influential figure noted as much for her commonsense advice as for her blue hair and her compelling sermons.