The+Keepers+of+the+House

=**AP Literature Data Sheet: //The Keepers of the House//**=


 * Title:** The Keepers of the House
 * Author**: Shirley Ann Grau
 * Original Date of Publication and Awards:** 1964- Pulitzer Prize
 * Literary Period:** Modern
 * Genre:** Southern-Gothic fiction


 * Relevance of Setting:** Grau does not specify a location at any point. She only provides details and names of rivers and towns to demonstrate that it's somewhere in the South. If she were to name a specific town, then the issues and obstacles in the story would be the issues of only THAT town. By creating a fictional and anonymous Southern town, the issues of racism and tradition pervade more than just one location of the South. It's a struggle that runs rampant throughout many different cities. She also creates it as a societal issue in general -- the issues of identity, racism, evil, and tradition linger in all parts of the USA, both the North and South.

**Theme:**
//Darkness and Light within us:// Humans struggle with the darkness and light inside their souls and minds; therefore, evil lingers in all humans. Acting on notions of hate, envy, and vengeance will only lead to the character's downfall as well as the obliteration of the other characters' lives around him/her. Intentionally taking revenge to cause misery and pain strengthens the power that evil holds on humans. In a chain reaction, the shadow of evil will continue to increase over mankind as it further infects others. By allowing evil to take over the passion and fury inside oneself, the good inside him/her will subsequently disappear as the evil grows leading to ultimate destruction.

=__**Plot Summary (beginning, middle, end)**__= __Opening:__ Abigail mysteriously narrates the beginning of the story as she mentions the destruction of parts of her home. Something has happened, causing her to feel as if she is alone against society and as if it is only her struggle to bear. She comments that she feels as if she is dead, yet she can see the world with great clarity. She begins describing the ancestry of the Howland clan. The next chapter opens with the tale of the first William Howland who built a home along the Providence River. However, he is killed by Native Americans. Unbeknownst to the Native Americans, the first William Howland had four sons who hunted them all down to get their revenge. Abigail begins describing how the name is continually passed down until it reaches her grandfather who is known as a great man of myth. At first he tried following his father's footsteps into law, but he decided he couldn't do something he hated. He then falls in love with a young girl staying with her cousin (who happens to be William's mistress). They get married; William adores her more than anything. However, she dies after giving birth to their second child (a boy). The boy dies soon after. His daughter, Abigail, becomes his only living child. She grows up, loving activities like reading poetry, which William doesn't understand. She is sent off to boarding school and William continues on with his life, eventually deciding to find a secret still in the swamp. However, right before he sets off, he receives a letter from Abigail announcing that she is coming home. He abandons his quest, and Abigail returns, revealing she is engaged.

__Middle:__ After the wedding, William decides to go on his quest to find the still. He enters the swamp by himself, recalling memories he had there as a child. He runs into an African American woman who reminds him of an old legend of a woman named Alberta who lived in the mountains. He watches her silently before letting himself be known. Margaret later joins him and becomes his "servant" to the public eye. The story then changes to tell Margaret's story. Margaret stems from a line of both African Americans and Native Americans. Margaret's father was white, and left her mother after they spent the night together. Margaret's mother insisted that he would come back, but eventually abandoned Margaret to go find him. Margaret was raised with many other children by her great grandmother. Margaret doesn't feel as she belongs and leaves into the forest after the death of her great grandmother. She even sees ghosts of her great grandmother, but Margaret eventually casts her away. Margaret and William begin to have a relationship. Shortly after, William's daughter Abigail returns home with her own daughter who is also named Abigail (the woman in the beginning). Her husband had left her in England, and the two live with William and Margaret. However, Abigail (the mother) eventually dies, and little Abigail goes off to school where she eventually meets her future husband, John.

__End:__ Abigail and John get married, eventually having four children. John wants to become governor and becomes heavily involved with politics. He begins to slander African Americans and also joins the Ku Klux Klan. Abigail is the perfect politician's wife and attends many KKK meetings with him. W. Howland dies, leaving his estate and wealth to Abigail. Margaret leaves the house she and William shared. During this time, Nina visits to show Margaret that she married a black man. Abigail is infuriated by her and angrily asks her to leave her house. Four years later, Margaret dies in the woods. No one knows what happened or why she left, but she went out into the forest barefoot during the night. She dies exactly four years after William, on the same day. In the meantime, Abigail blames Nina and her psuedo-sibilings for the death of their mother, claiming Margaret committed suicide. John tells Abigail that the newspaper has gotten hold of a terrible secret and claims it has to do with her family. When she arrives home, she finds a newspaper clipping in an envelope thats marked for the next day. The newspaper had somehow found a marriage certificate between William and Margaret; no one knew they had been secretly married all along. Robert then shows his face, claiming that it was revenge for all of the awful things John had said and is hoping to destroy Abigail's seemingly "perfect" life. There is a public outcry, and John leaves Abigail, knowing angry townsmen will come to try and destroy her and her ancestors' home. They show up and no one stops it. The police know, John knows, and the African American community knows, but it is Abigail (and Oliver) against the infuriated men. They set her barn on fire and kill animals around her house. However, Abigail and Oliver set their cars on fire. Abigail calls the police implying she will start killing people if they do not show up. Afterwards, she decides to destroy the town for the Howland name. Because she owns many companies and businesses, she shuts down everything, so the town will crumble into nothingness. However, her vengeance isn' over. She calls Robert and claims that she will have her revenge, and she will torment him for years for his own secret: his wife doesn't know he is black. At the end, she is sobbing on the ground, seeing through rainbow tears, but lying on the cold, dark floor.

=**__Memorable Quotes and Significance__**= Abigail's vengeance has completely destroyed her; her body resembles an empty shell. It relates to the overall meaning of the work which is about letting the evil inside us destroy everything. Not only has it destroyed her own life, but she has destroyed the lives of the people in the town. Robert is also affected by the thought of Abigail constantly tormenting him with his true identity. Abigail's children will also be affected since the Howland family ancestors become ghosts that push the living ones toward the ideas of tradition. Abigail has willingly destroyed her entire life and countless others', but she feels numb. There is no sorrow, regret, or sympathy inside her. It's as if she has lost her connection to the world around her by losing the qualities that made her human.
 * //"I have the illusion that I am sitting here, dead" (4)//**

//**"One was life and one was death and nothing could be more different, but they always seem to fall together..." (106)**// Grau constantly uses opposites and juxtapositions such as evil and good, darkness and light, and life and death. It defends the argument that this book is cyclical; the power of tradition triumphs and each ancestor becomes a new ghost after death to linger in the memories of the remaining Howlands. Life and death is a cycle that cannot be broken. Furthermore, it relates to the passage from Ecclesiastes in the beginning of the novel. Nothing matters in the end because everyone will die.

Darkness has completely enveloped Abigail. The light has faded, and she is like a machine that just wants to destroy and hurt those who hurt her. However, without the vengeance in her heart, she would have nothing. She has lost the qualities that make her human such as passion, love--many which become fatal flaws. However she has held onto vengeance which is all that remains inside her. Without vengeance, she would be nothing; she would have no reason to go on; she would have no reason to care. The vengeance inside her is what is keeping her moving and living. Without it, her heart wouldn't be able to continue and she would crumble. In fact, she realizes that this source of life won't last for long, but it's enough for now.
 * //"I know that I shall hurt as much as I have been hurt. I shall destroy as much as I have lost. It's a way to live, you know. It's a way to keep your heart ticking under the sheltering arches of your ribs. And that's enough for now"(4-5)//**

//**"With the hum of the wheels under me, I can love the human race, as I never can at any other time. I can think great cloudy thoughts, and tremble with the power of life surging in me. I resolve then to have a dozen children and live forever. It seems possible." (244-245)**// In both the opening and this scene, Abigail comments that she is seeing through clear eyes. She is not unstable or crazy, but she sees everything clearly like never before. However, Grau juxtaposes both these scenes. Abigail is broken in the opening scene, but she is her happiest while she is driving her car at night. She is able to forgive all the wrongs done with her and see the beauty of mankind. Also, Abigail feels as if she is independent and strong which greatly contrasts to how she acts around John. She has always followed behind a man and lived dependently. However, she remarks that she feels almost divine and immortal as if nothing could ever harm or touch her. This is the last time she has all of her human qualities, soon she will lose herself by focusing on revenge. She is safely hidden in the eye of the storm, but it won't last for long.

//**"So your cousins have put the snake into Eden" (253)**// Abigail questions John about his true feelings about African Americans, but he avoids the question. By implying that her cousins are the snake, Abigail represents Eve and John represents Adam. Her cousins have planted a seed in her mind and John implies that she has a choice: similar to the choice Eve had. Abigail can continue with this and give into sin and temptation, ultimately betraying John. However, she can also choose to forget the subject and avoid the "snake" all together.

//**"She was everywhere, in his face, in his movements, intangible but all-present, as much as her blood running in his veins" (262-263)**// Margaret's blood is in Robert. Margaret was like a mother to Abigail; she loves her. However, she despises Robert. She hates him with every bone in her body, even wishing he were dead. One of the people she loved the most is a part of her nemesis -- her mind cannot deny that. Hate and love are opposites, yet they fit together. Abigail realizes that this was one of the people Margaret cared most for Margaret gave up everything for him, sacrificed her own happiness for a chance to give him a better life. To Abigail, he never appreciated it and has thrown it all away. Margaret will be a ghost that haunts him, similar to the ghosts of the Howland ancestors she sees.

//**"But when you picked them up, they fell of their own weight, without even a breath touching them, and even the bits and pieces you held in your fingers crumpled" (182)**// The love in this story is twisted and tainted. Love does not last; the characters who marry for love have marriages that crumble. The only exception is Margaret and William, but they didn't show affection of any kind or sort-everything was hidden and secret. Margaret's mom fell in love with a white man who used her and left; she allowed the love to consume her until she vanished after him. Abigail married George, yet he left her for the war. Similarly, Abigail married John because she loved him, yet he left her as well. The other older couples such as Annie and her husband just grow old and complacent. It appears like they are just dealing with each other and fell out of love long ago. Abigail realizes that her relationship is destroyed with John. Although he cheated on her, only cares about his own ambition, and is racist, she has always made excuses. At this point she realizes they are doomed, like all the marriages in her family tree.

__**Significance of Opening Scene:**__
The opening scene occurs in November which is after she has already lost everything and a few months after the closing scene. She sees what she must do clearly; there is no confusion or hesitation in her mind. The life and hope inside her is fading; the only thing she is feeding on is vengeance. The town thought they had destroyed the Howland name, yet she obliterated everything she knew. There is no guilt or shame or regret in her mind. She knows that going through with her plan will kill her, the revenge will end her, yet she also knows she cannot stop now. It's like her Howland ancestors are pushing her to go forward; they are pushing her to make these decisions and choices. Grau uses dark undertones to create the image of death all around her as well as predator/prey imagery. Abigail feels forced into tradition, she's forced to take vengeance, thus causing her own downfall.

__**Significance of Closing Scene:**__
During the tea party, Abigail attends planning to announce her plans for the town. The ladies call the men who burned down Abigail's barn white trash. Abigail simply asks them where there husbands were that night. Everyone in the town know what was happening. The wives, friends of Abigail's, knew that their husbands had the intention of causing mayhem and destruction, yet no one tried to prevent it. No one attempted to help Abigail who was alone-- even deserted by her husband. Abigail feels forced by tradition to destroy the entire town which leaves her on the brink of death. At the end, she sees through rainbow tears--symbolizing hope and rebirth. However, it contrasts with the cold and unforgiving floor. Hope is just outside Abigail's reach, but she knows she can't achieve it. It hangs there, silently tormenting her, but she gave up the qualities of hope, faith, and love when she lost herself. She understands that there is only darkness ahead.

__**Describe the author's style:**__
Grau creates an aura of mystery around her characters and their motives. She represents the complexity of the world in all her characters. For example, Abigail claims "I have the illusion that I am sitting here, dead"(4). She focuses on a damaged character, Abigail, which is typical in Southern Gothic novels. Each character has human flaws and characteristics described in great detail. Grau uses pairs of opposites to resemble the complicated nature of the world's issues. The immense detail in the novel provides a realistic view into the characters' lives. There are no clear heroes or villains (except John). Each character possesses darkness and light inside them, but as Grau notes, most of them choose the dark. However, nothing is black and white; there are many gray areas and sides to different stories. In addition, she uses many supernatural elements such as hauntings by ghosts. Her language is dark yet beautiful. It flows gently, but with great power and emotion. She twists her tale into one of madness and death; this is no fairytale with a happy ending. Like the mother succumbing to madness after her daughter and the bandits are murdered, Abigail follows in her ancestor's footsteps. Grau provides universal truths that many can identify with since she is attempting to expose actual problems of society.

=__Characters:__=

**William Howland:**

 * role: patriarch of family/ grandfather of Abigail**
 * significance: becomes a driving force towards Abigail/ Margaret and his hidden marriage led to the major conflicts and obstacles/ known as a myth and legend, but a regular human in reality**
 * adjectives:"big heavy man with faded blue eyes" (14), adventurous (until he lost his energy), frank, practical**

**Margaret:**

 * role: marries William Howland which causes outrage after their deaths/becomes like a mother to Abigail**
 * significance: symbolizes Alberta/ the only woman who has even been independent of William/ sacrifices her relationship with her children to give them a better opportunity**
 * adjectives: "too tall", "big but lithe", "large brown eyes", "too dark" (75-76), courageous, independent, strong -willed**

**Robert:**

 * role: Margaret's son/ leaks marriage certificate to newspaper/ catalyst for Abigail's destruction**
 * significance: chooses the path of vengeance which ultimately backfires/ event that causes people to come for Abigail**
 * adjectives: "carries himself like an old man, rubbing his mouth", (6) "she [Margaret] was everywhere in him...", (262) weak, vindictive**

**Abigail:**

 * role: main character of story/ narrator of events/ granddaughter of W. Howland**
 * significance:destroys the town/ causes her own downfall by choosing the road of vengeance/**
 * adjectives:dependent, fierce, vindictive**

**The House:**

 * role: shelter for Howland ancestors/ keeper of the memories**
 * significance: ties the deceased ancestors to it as ghost (an anchor)/ changes based on the state of the family/ spiritually dies (similar to Abigail) it becomes empty**
 * adjectives: "warm house wall", "empty and lonely before--I just did not realize it" (4)**

**Howland Ancestors:**

 * role:first W. Howland murdered by Indians/ one teenage girl is murdered by bandits**
 * significance: the power of the past/ power of tradition/ continues to push the future generations (Abigail)/ W. Howland's sons took revenge and slaughtered the Native Americans/ the girl's mother went mad after seeing all the blood spilled after the family hunted down the bandits/ a constant cycle of vengeance**
 * adjectives:"They called to the Howland family out to watch while they hanged th Indian to a white oak in front of the house" (12), "And she'd been seeing her daughter's death agonies repeated over and over in the agonies of her murderers"**

=__**Symbols:**__=
 * **Poison ivy:** in the wreath during the wedding/ foreshadowing the doom of Abigail and George's marriage
 * **Quest to find the still:** HTRLLAP- it lead to Margaret which was the true purpose of the quest (self realization)
 * **Blood:** kin/family
 * **The Howland House:** changes based on state of family (if everyhting is going well/ when trouble erupts) / reflects temperment of those around it/changes from a safe haven to an empty shell
 * **William Howland:** the man of tradition/myth/legend/he is the essence of what is forcing Abigail forward
 * **Tears creating a rainbow prism**: rebirth/hope/faith/chance of renewal
 * **Owl/rabbit:** predator/prey symbolizing the situation Abigail is in