The Mountain and the Valley: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Mountain and the Valley: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the intricate relationships and personal growth of several key figures within a family set against the backdrop of the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia. Central to the narrative is David Canaan, a sensitive young boy whose deep connection to family life and the rhythms of farming are challenged by his burgeoning fascination with language and the complexities of adult relationships. His twin sister, Anna, shares a close bond with him, which becomes strained after her marriage to Toby Richmond, David's friend, introducing themes of love and separation. Toby himself, characterized by his charm and adventurous spirit, serves as a contrast to David, who aspires to emulate him.
The story also delves into the experiences of David's elder brother, Christopher, whose journey through war and familial responsibilities leads to personal hardships. Their father, Joseph, embodies a stoic and hardworking nature, yet struggles with expressing his emotions, culminating in a tragic end. The narrative further introduces their mother, Martha, whose deep connection with Joseph highlights the theme of partnership and loss. The presence of a loving grandmother, Ellen, offers continuity and wisdom amid the family's upheavals. Additional characters, such as Effie and Rachel Gorman, contribute to the exploration of themes like guilt, tragedy, and gossip within the community. Overall, the characters navigate the complexities of life, love, and loss, underscoring the profound impact of their relationships on their individual lives.
The Mountain and the Valley: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Ernest Buckler
First published: 1952
Genre: Novel
Locale: The village of Entremont in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia, Canada
Plot: Psychological
Time: The 1920's to the 1940's
David Canaan, a sensitive, ardent boy who is deeply involved with his family and the routines of farm life in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia yet is also increasingly drawn into a fascination with words. As he matures, his relationships with his family and his friend Toby are disrupted by life's inevitable events and accidents, but his ability to articulate their significance develops. At the end, separated by deaths and marriages from everyone except his grandmother, he ascends the mountain and dies while experiencing a trans-figuring vision of the power of the writer to capture time and reality.
Anna Canaan, the twin sister of David, to whom she is closely attuned. Their often unspoken understanding dwindles somewhat after she falls in love with and marries Toby, David's friend, who is sometimes perceived as looking very much like David.
Toby Richmond, a pen pal and friend of David, subsequently Anna's husband. He has dark hair, light-blue eyes, and a smooth body on which his clothes fit easily. He is open, free of affectations, and unimpressed by conventions and social stratagems. Growing up in the great port of Halifax, he always has been interested in ships; he joins the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. David often wishes that he were more like Toby.
Christopher (Chris) Canaan, the elder brother of David and Anna. In his acceptance of farm life and his inarticulateness, Chris is more like his father than is David. In childhood, he shows affectionate concern for his siblings, but they grow apart after he becomes involved with Charlotte Gorman, whom he gets pregnant and marries. He returns to Canada after being wounded in the foot in World War II. His marriage founders, and he moves to the West.
Joseph Canaan, the father of Chris, David, and Anna. He has dark hair, dark sober eyes, and a body corded with muscles. Determined and kind, he is rarely able to express his affection for and pride in his family. He is killed while felling a tree alone on the mountain.
Martha Canaan, Joseph's wife. A hardworking and compassionate woman, she is so closely attuned to her husband that if another person, even one of their children, comes into either's thoughts, that other is like a second person, not a third. She dies of a seizure concurrent with her husband's death.
Ellen Canaan, Joseph's mother. As their grandmother, she is a confidante to the children. She tells Anna of the sailor she hid and fed for a week early in her marriage and later gives David the locket that contains the picture of the sailor. She is continually weaving a rug out of the family's discarded clothes, just as in her memory she preserves fragments out of all their lives. At the end, she is the only one left on the farm.
Effie Delahunt, a shy and gentle classmate of David. At his importuning, she yields to him in a wet field. Her death soon afterward leaves David guilt-ridden, for he is unaware that leukemia, not he, caused it.
Bess Delahunt, whose husband, Pete, drowned trying to save Spurge Gorman. She is too yielding to the local men and even seeks to console David physically during his distress at the death of her daughter Effie.
Rachel Gorman, whose husband, Spurge, is drowned in a log drive. A gossip, she continually causes trouble in other people's lives.
Charlotte Gorman, the daughter of Rachel. Her sexual responsiveness to Chris Canaan leads to pregnancy and their getting married, but the marriage does not last, and she returns to her mother.