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Rachel Butts
McGee 1B
AP Literature
14 April 2010
The Prince of Tides
When asked what makes a good novel, Tom Wolfe answered, “To me, it’s a
novel that pulls you inside the central nervous system of the characters … and makes
you feel in your bones their motivations as affected by the society of which they are a
part. It is folly to believe that you can bring the psychology of an individual to light
without putting him very firmly in a social setting.” In the novel The Prince of Tides, Pat
Conroy engulfs oneself into the central nervous system of the characters. All feelings of
hate, remorse, love, pain, happiness, and depression each character senses are
mirrored into the very core of one’s mind. Pat Conroy tells the tale of Tom Wingo, a
subdued man from Colleton County and also the narrator of the story, through dark
flashbacks. The memories that Tom shares with his sister Savannah’s psychiatrist, Dr.
Susan Lowenstein, are filled with evil and wickedness. It is through these sinful tales
that Dr. Lowenstein hopes to save a suicidal Savannah and, surprisingly, Tom hopes to
save himself, but it is through the damaged Tom and psychotic Savannah that one
connects to the story itself. With the help of setting, characterization, narrative structure,
symbolism, and themes Pat Conroy develops the beautifully immoral story of the Wingo
family from Colleton, South Carolina.
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The Prince of Tides seems to be largely influenced by Pat Conroy’s own life and
experiences, as are most of his novels. Conroy was raised in the south, had an abusive
father, and a beautiful mother. Like Tom, Conroy was born during World War II and had
friends die in Vietnam. Although there can be many connections made between Pat
Conroy and Tom Wingo, the novel is not an autobiography. It is a clear work of fiction.
The setting is enormously important to the plot as well as to the development of the
characters. The novel has two main settings: Colleton County, South Carolina and New
York, New York. The stories of Tom’s childhood are set on Melrose Island, a small
island his family owns in Colleton County. In the present plot, Tom is talking to Dr.
Lowenstein about Savannah in New York. Luke, Tom’s older brother, sees Colleton
County as “heaven”. Luke described his view on Colleton by saying: “It’s like the whole
world is happening for the first time. It’s like being born in Eden”. To Savannah, Colleton
was a living hell. She blamed the county for her schizophrenic hallucinations of dogs
and angels that commanded her to commit suicide. New York was Savannah’s “Eden”
and the place she aspired to become. She desperately wanted to become a true New
Yorker and to eliminate every inch of Colleton from her life, even if that meant
eliminating her family. The Wingo children’s father, Henry, was a poor shrimper who
was very abusive. His effect on the family is felt more than actually stated. Because the
flashbacks of the novel are set in such a small county, it is understood that what goes
on in the Wingo household must be kept a secret. Lila Wingo, Tom’s mother, presses
into her children’s minds at a very young age that “the greatest virtue in the world [is]
family loyalty and only the finest people, the very best, possessed it”. Lila regrets
marrying a “poor” man and pretends her entire life to be someone she is not. She
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represents the typical southern female in Colleton County and is the model of what
Savannah despises. Being Southern by birth contributes in many ways to how the three
children are raised and who they become. Colleton appears to be its own world in the
novel, a very evil world at that. Every member of the Wingo family has qualities that are
solely at the fault of Colleton County. As each character progresses and ages in the
novel, it is clear that Colleton County is to blame for many of their flaws.
While setting is vastly important, it is hard to understand why without discussing
characterization and narrative structure. The structure of the novel switches from past to
present. This specific structure reveals character and advances the plot. With each
flashback, each character is unraveled and revealed. The development of each
individual Wingo family member is different. Start with Savannah, the fragile member of
the family. Savannah is the escapist of the novel; she despises every aspect of Colleton
County. At an early age she begins reading The New Yorker and becomes enthralled
with the idea of living in the Big Apple. Savannah is deeply hurt by the events of her
childhood and manifests her pain through delusions of suicide. Although the story
revolves around Savannah’s suicide attempt, she is not a very important character in
the present day plot; Savannah is more influential in the flashbacks Tom describes.
Savannah is Tom’s twin and is used as a literary device to explore halves of one
personality. In other words, Savannah is essentially Tom in female form. Interestingly,
Savannah is tougher than Tom as a child. As they grow older this principle diminishes
and Savannah eventually succumbs to her problems. Because Savannah was raised in
the South, she was treated differently than her brothers. Her dad often denied her
permission to do things the boys did simply because she was “only a girl”. Lila tries to
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raise Savannah as a well-dressed and good mannered southern girl so she can find a
good husband, revealing that most southern women find it necessary to have a man to
survive. As an adult Savannah, the female, is deeply emotional and suicidal while Tom,
the male, ignores his emotions and dies internally.
This leads to Tom, the principal character, narrator, and protagonist. The novel
involves Tom’s struggle with manhood and his struggle with what his life has become.
As the protagonist, Tom goes through a change. He essentially learns how to be alive
again, how to feel and express compassion. Tom is a very subdued man who had
endless potential but became depressed and mentally unstable due to past events in
his life. He is constantly antagonized by a group of men. The first man is his father,
Henry Wingo, who was abusive and brutal. It is Tom’s goal in life to be nothing like his
father. The second is Reese Newbury, Tom’s stepfather and the richest man in Colleton
County. Reese is sneaky and greedy, which appeals to Lila Wingo. Tom blames Reese
for the destruction of his family structure (the divorce). The final man is Herbert
Woodruff, Dr. Lowenstein’s husband. It is through Herbert that Tom experiences his
change of character. Tom stands up to Herbert at a dinner party and forces Herbert to
apologize to his wife for psychologically abusing her. Once Tom returns to South
Carolina, it is clear that he is a new man. By dealing with his past, Tom learns how to
live life again.
The third Wingo child is Luke, the “prince of tides” himself. Luke is strong, brave,
and the family protector. He is the force that held the family together and the force that
led to its destruction. He embodies all the best qualities of his parents, whereas Tom
and Savannah have assumed the worst. Luke is the only example of a man who lives
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his life passionately and according to his own beliefs. There is also a tragic aura about
look that suggests that his strength will one day be his downfall. Luke represents the
only “real man” in the novel. He adores Colleton and comes across as the only good
thing to ever emerge from the small County. He is often the voice of reason between the
three children and is seen as the glue that bonds the three together. Without Luke, Tom
and Savannah don’t remain as tightly knit. Luke is the character in the novel that is
sympathized with because he seems to have no flaws.
Symbols are also crucial to The Prince of Tides. Three main symbols emerge
during the novel: the white porpoise, Luke’s death, and Mr. Fruit. Snow, the white
porpoise, is a symbol for luck in Colleton County. When she is removed by the
Amberjack crew to be taken to Florida, all of Colleton was outraged and felt uneasy.
Luke, being the brave one, leads the plan to take Snow back. Once returned, Luke and
his two siblings set Snow free in the waters of Colleton and restore peace to the County.
Because Luke is the “prince of tides” and the only “real man” in the novel, his physical
death represents Tom’s spiritual death. Following Luke’s death, Tom has a nervous
breakdown after which he can feel nothing at all; Tom becomes dead on the inside.
Only after Tom allows himself to feel the pain and sorrow of Luke’s death does he
become restored. Mr. Fruit symbolizes the aberrant elements of society that refuse to
conform. He is very odd, and secretly so is Luke. It is harder to understand how odd
Luke is because it is so easy to sympathize with Luke and ignore his peculiarity. Mr.
Fruit symbolizes Luke’s position in the larger society. Like Mr. Fruit directing traffic, Luke
is trying to direct society against its own rules. Luke and Mr. Fruit both share an undying
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love for Colleton. Neither can understand how everyone could just leave Colleton for a
new place.
Along with three symbols, there are also three main topics in the novel: secrets
and lies, class and social distinctions, and marriage and infidelity. The entire novel is
based on the damaging effects that secrets and lies can have on a family. The
catastrophic “family secret” that Lila Wingo forces her children to bare is the driving
force behind the mental imbalance and desperation that many characters face.
Savannah is driven to self destruction and suicide. She doesn’t even tell Dr. Lowenstein
of the secret because she holds so tightly to it. Only when Tom breaks the silence by
confessing the secret to Lowenstein does the rush of healing start for the family. Both
Lila and Henry lie to their children frequently. Lila tells fantasies to the children, while
Henry just plain denies every mistake he ever made (including his abusive history). The
theme of social class and distinctions runs like the tide in the novel. It is first introduced
through Lila, who pretends to be someone she is not. She deludes herself with lies
about her origin. Isabel Newbury is a constant nag for the family. She puts down Lila
and refuses to give her the satisfaction of getting into the Colleton League. The principle
of classes continues when Tom goes to college and gets denied from every frat he
pledged for, likewise his future wife, Sallie, also gets denied from every sorority she
pledges for. Because of Sallie and Tom’s social distinction, they are rejected from most
social events in college. A more subtle topic that is carried throughout the novel is the
conflict between marriage and infidelity. Tolitha, Tom’s grandmother, leaves her
husband and Henry during the depression. She remarries and makes a new life for
herself in Atlanta. Tom and Sallie are on the verge of divorce during the novel due to
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Tom’s mental state. Sallie turns to a lover to fill her loneliness. Likewise, Lila Wingo is
unhappy in her marriage. She sticks it out until the children are grown, and then files for
divorce. Her reasoning has nothing to do with infidelity on her part; she merely isn’t
needed to raise the children anymore and wants to live the life she always wanted.
Herbert Woodruff, Lowenstein’s husband, is having an affair with a fellow musician.
Susan remains faithful to her cheating husband, until the night Tom stands up to
Herbert and makes him apologize to Susan. That night, Susan and Tom sleep together
for the first time. The novel has an underlying message that although marriage and
fidelity are important, it is more important to be true to yourself and to those you love
most.
There is essentially one major theme in The Prince of Tides: the dehumanization
of the male. In the story of Tom’s life, many men are introduced to the tale. These men
are cruel and cowards who use bullying to feign real masculinity. The only male true to
himself is Luke Wingo, Tom’s older brother. There are three minor themes presented in
the novel: male chauvinism as masculinity, the American South, and feminism. Male
chauvinism as masculinity ties into the main theme of the book. The antagonists of the
story, Herbert, Henry, and Reese, act in ways that they believe make them seem like
men. These men exert power over those around them. Henry is physically abusive,
Herbert is psychologically abusive, and Reese is similar to Herbert in his methods of
torment. Each of these men also has a son whom despises them. Also in the novel, the
topic of the South is frequently touched upon. The characters from New York believe
the South is backwards. For the Southerners of the story, the South is who they are.
The South is seen as both good and evil. Many traumatic events took place in the South
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for Tom, Savannah, and Luke, yet they stick up for the South when the New Yorkers put
it down. The final theme of The Prince of Tides is the topic of feminism. Savannah and
Susan often discuss how difficult it is to be a woman in their therapy sessions. Tom
claims to be a feminist, but he also explains to Lowenstein that it is difficult to be a man.
In the book all of the women are very strong in their own way, yet they are all the victim
of a man.