Talley and Son: Analysis of Major Characters
"Talley and Son: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the intricate dynamics within the Talley family, focusing on patriarch Calvin Stuart Talley and his children, Eldon and Lottie, as well as other family members. Calvin, the elderly father, exhibits moments of clarity amid confusion, revealing a ruthless nature as he prioritizes family reputation over personal relationships. His son Eldon struggles under his father’s control, grappling with personal failures and a desire for autonomy, ultimately seeking to seize his own destiny through a shrewd business maneuver. Lottie, Eldon's sister, returns home after a life dedicated to social work, harboring resentment towards her father and engaging in conflict with her brother, though she finds fleeting joy in helping her niece escape family troubles.
The narrative also introduces Kenneth "Buddy" Talley, Eldon’s son, who embodies the arrogance of his lineage, fixated on future control of the family business while wrestling with his own prejudices. Timmy, Eldon’s younger son and a Marine, serves as a haunting presence, his death catalyzing significant changes within the family structure. Lastly, Sally, Eldon's daughter, navigates the familial chaos with a desire for independence, attempting to distance herself from disapproval regarding her romantic choices. This analysis reveals how personal ambitions, familial obligations, and societal expectations intertwine, shaping the characters' lives and relationships.
Talley and Son: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Lanford Wilson
First published: 1986
Genre: Play
Locale: The Talley Place, near Lebanon, Missouri
Plot: Comic realism
Time: July 4, 1944
Calvin Stuart Talley, the eighty-year-old patriarch of the Talley family. He is dazed and confused most of the time, but he has flashes of lucidity, during which he asserts his power over Eldon and Lottie, his children, who hate him. As far as Calvin is concerned, the only one of his children who was ever worth anything was Stuart, who has been dead for more than twenty-five years. Calvin is a shrewd and ruthless businessman. He keeps his records locked away and written in code so he will retain control. When a scandal over Eldon's adultery threatens to erupt, Talley manipulates the people involved with no regard for them; his only concern is protecting the family name because of the reflection on the family business. In the end, he loses control to Eldon and slips back into a confused state.
Eldon Talley, Calvin Talley's fifty-two-year-old son. Eldon has always been under his father's thumb at work and has been an irresponsible and adulterous man in his private life. Recently, he has been sneaking into his father's office to go through his papers, and he is pleased to see that the family is wealthier than he imagined. He is also excited because his older son, Buddy, is home from the war for a few days, and his younger son, Timmy, is expected soon. He receives a telegram saying that Timmy has been killed, and the local wash-erwoman demands support for her child by Eldon. As his frustration intensifies and he and his father become angrier toward each other, he decides to take control of his life. He outsmarts his father and makes a business deal that will ensure that he gets what he wants, with his father and his ungrateful son Buddy being shut out.
Charlotte (Lottie) Talley, Eldon's younger sister. After graduating from college, Lottie stood up to her father and announced that she was leaving home to work among the poor. She did some satisfying work teaching poor black children in Chicago and also did a stint at a clock factory in Connecticut. At the age of forty-five, she is back home with her father, dying of cancer she contracted from the radium paint used to paint clock dials. She hates her father and bickers with her brother. Her only happiness comes at the end of the play, when she helps her niece Sally run away without being seen.
Kenneth “Buddy” Talley, Eldon's older son, an army staff sergeant. Buddy, like his father and grandfather, is arrogant and ruthless. He shares his grandfather's interest in the banking business and his father's eye for available women. Not especially clever at business, he nevertheless assumes that he will one day control the bank. He disapproves of his niece's Jewish boyfriend, of Italians, and of his wife wearing pants. Although he has been away from home for some time, he shows no interest in spending time with his wife or his baby daughter. When Eldon trades away his share of the bank, Buddy's plans for his own future evaporate.
Timmy Talley, Eldon's younger son, a Marine. Timmy is the first speaker in the play and reveals that he has been killed in the war. He comments on the action as it unfolds, waiting for his family to get the word of his death. Like his father, he was interested in the garment factory; Eldon assumed that Timmy would take over that business after him. His death forces Eldon to take responsibility for his own life.
Sally Talley, Eldon's daughter. She stays as far as possible from family squabbles. The men's business dealings do not involve her, because she is a daughter, and no one approves of her choice of Matt Friedman, who is Jewish, as a mate. She is seen darting upstairs to avoid the family and sneaking out the door to elope.