Writing in Context
The Member of the
Wedding
By Carson McCullers
The
Genre
Genre of this novel is
a typical, coming-of-age
story – drama - fiction
Narration
Narration
– The narration
is almost exclusively from
the point of view of Frankie.
The
novel can be divided into three
main sections:
Part 1 – confusion
Part 2 – the day before; in the town
Part 3 – leaving home; the wedding
finale
Characters:
Frankie Addams - Protagonist, 12 years old –
daughter of Royal Quincy Addams & cousin of
John Henry West
 In between childhood and adolescence/young
adulthood, Frankie feels alienated and is trying
to run away from her drab life
 Changes her name to F. Jasmine Addams, and
then Frances
Characters:
John Henry West
6
year old first cousin of Frankie
 very bright
 symbolises childhood
 very calm in contrast with Frankie
 dies at the end of the novel
 represents Frankie’s entering adolescence and
leaving childhood behind
Characters:
Bernice Sadie Brown
Addams’ family housekeeper –
straight forward, “voice of
reason”
Characters:
Royal Quincy Addams
Frankie’s father, a widower fairly removed from the actions
of the novel
Characters:
Soldier
unnamed, on three days leave,
and after sex - represents the
harsh reality of adult life
Characters:
Jarvis Addams
Frankie’s older brother –
marries Janice Evans
Themes
Some of the themes
present in The Member of
the Wedding are:
Theme - Fear
“…….with
somebody sleeping in
the dark with her, she was not so
much afraid”.
“It was the Summer of fear.”
Frankie
is on the brink of emotional and
sexual maturity
she feels isolated
she does not belong to any group
she has little control over her physical
growth
 Obsesses
about running away her brother and
his new wife after the wedding.
 Growing up is very challenging - not an
instant process. Frankie tries to transform her
appearance and changes her name to F.
Jasmine but her encounter with the soldier
highlights how innocent she really is.
Feeling
afraid for the
changes that are taking
place in us is normal.
Theme - Belonging
 We
need to feel we belong to a group to feel
empowered
 At the start of the novel, Frankie is struggling
with who she is, who she was as a child and
who she will become as a young adult. Central
to these identify issues is the fact that she feels
alienated from others and the world.
Theme – Alienation &
Loneliness
 Afraid
and feeling deep isolation, Frankie
learns that her older brother Jarvis is to
marry. She irrationally decides that on the
wedding day she will somehow join her
brother and his bride to become a third
member of their wedding.
Theme - Identity
As
we grow through life our identify
changes or is modified. This can lead
to uneasy and uncomfortable years in
adolescence trying on what fits for us.
Most
importantly we may try on
different “facades” images,
friendship groups – growing up
into who we truly are is a process
of trial and error. It is important
not to fall for superficial change.
In
the novel, Frankie changes
her name to F. Jasmine as it
sounds more mature and
sophisticated, but this is just a
superficial change.
Themes - Journey of Growth
 The Member of the Wedding is a coming of age
novel – also referred to as a bildungsroman
text.
 Frankie is on an inner quest to grow and
develop into a young adult.
 She is frustrated and restless, impatiently
waiting for something better.
Themes - Journey of Growth
 The quest is often symbolised by a physical
journey, such as travelling to the wedding.
 At the wedding Frankie must really “grow
up” and feel the pain of her delusional belief
that she would be able to tag along with the
married couple.
Themes - Journey of Growth
 Journeys of inner growth often feature loss,
painful realisations as turning points.
 John Henry’s abrupt death symbolises
Frankie’s transition into young adulthood
and leaving her childhood behind.
Quotes
Here are some interesting quotes that are
relevant to the Context of Identity and
Belonging:
“She
loved her brother and the bride
and she was a member of the wedding.”
Quotes
 “Is
it cold up there?”(teasing by children to
Frankie)
 “It seemed to her that they had looked at
her in a secret way and tried to connect
their eyes with hers, as though to say: we
know you.” (about the prisoners in the jail)
Quotes
“They are
the we of me”.
“We all of us somehow caught.”
(Berenice)
Happy
Studying