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I chose to highlight Claire because I found her to be a frustrating character. Transitioning from the emotional rollercoaster of Corrigan’s story, Chapter Two in Book One was a complete tonal shift. I found it interesting that while Chapter Two wasn’t told directly from Claire’s perspective, the style of writing definitely changed to reflect her frantic nature. I feel that the aspect that most uniquely reflected this was the way that the dialogue was formatted throughout the chapter. Claire seemed to always be in a state of panic over what her “friends” would think about what she said or how she appeared to them – she never was truly present in reality. When the women she invited over were speaking, the dialogue was reflected as this stream of conversation. Many times is was unclear as to who was speaking since there was no mention of who had said the dialogue. I think this was because Claire couldn’t be bothered with what they were saying and was completely disconnected from the conversation in her own worried state.
The difference in status between Claire and the women she invited over is also something that seems to deeply affect Claire. She isn’t trying to purposely make the other women feel worse, but the difference between her and her guests definitely makes her feel uncomfortable. This was highlighted most clearly when Gloria had asked her if she needed any help putting flowers in a vase. Instead of keeping at a perfectly normal exchange, Claire’s mind immediately goes to thinking that Gloria wanted to be “the help”. She thought of what she would do around the house and how much she would pay her. It’s clear that that Claire doesn’t think she belongs in this group of people.
The moment that Claire appears to be most comfortable is when she talks about experiencing learning about her son’s death. While this seems to be a coping mechanism for her, I find this to be an incredibly selfish moment. This group of “friends” was formed because they all had lost sons in the Vietnam War, but it seems like they have gathered plenty of times and now no longer just have the death of their sons as their only talking point. The only link that Claire can seem to find with this group of women is their shared mourning, but she doesn’t make an attempt to find anything else in common. It’s quite obvious that the gatherings these women have offer them a sense of relief in their devastation, but Claire instead turns it so that the other women can feel pity for her even though they all obviously experienced the same thing.
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I think your analysis of Claire is really interesting, especially towards the end as you summarize your frustrations with her. Claire’s perception of the world is warped by the death of her son; her grasp on the present fades in and out as she goes about her life. As we all noticed, Claire’s anxiety invades her conceptions, interactions, and relationships to such a degree that it imprints upon the reader. This is aided by the structural changes made to the narrative you pointed out. The choppy sentences and half-formed thoughts perfectly reflect the constant chaos of Claire’s mind. She exists in an in between, as she’s neither in the present nor the past, she doesn’t exactly fit within the group but she also isn’t an outsider. She’s drifting through life, clinging to this group. Your thought process made me look more objectively at her actions and farther outside of the sympathy the author builds for her within this part of the novel.
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