CHARACTERS THE CHARACTERS Eilis Lacey The protagonist of

CHARACTERS

THE CHARACTERS Eilis Lacey - The protagonist of Brooklyn; a young woman from Enniscorthy, Ireland, approximately twenty years old, who immigrates to America. In Brooklyn, Eilis works in Bartocci’s department store and studies bookkeeping. During the course of the novel she is romantically involved with both Tony Fiorello and Jim Farrell. Rose Lacey - Eilis’ thirty-year-old unmarried sister; works in the office of Davis’s Mills and supports Eilis and their mother financially. Rose encourages Eilis’ emigration. She dies unexpectedly from an undisclosed heart condition. Mrs Lacey - The mother of Rose, Pat, Martin, Jack and Eilis Lacey; widowed four years earlier. Miss Kelly - The proprietor of a prosperous grocery shop; offers Eilis a part-time job. Nancy Byrne - Eilis’ closest girlfriend; she is about the same age as Eilis and works behind the counter in Buttle’s Barley. Fed Bacon. She becomes engaged to George Sheridan.

THE CHARACTERS Annette O’Brien - Another good friend of Eilis’; also of a similar age to Eilis. George Sheridan - Nancy Byrne’s fiancé; in his mid-twenties. Runs a successful shop in Market Square and will inherit the business in full after his mother’s death. Member of the rugby club and close friends with Jim Farrell - George Sheridan’s closest friend; of a similar age to George and also a member of the rugby club. An only child who works in his father’s hotel in Rafter Street. Becomes romantically involved with Eilis when she returns to Enniscorthy. Jack Lacey - Eilis’ older brother; has followed his two brothers, Pat and Martin, to Birmingham for better employment prospects. Meets Eilis in Liverpool before she leaves for America. Georgina - An Englishwoman with whom Eilis shares a cabin on the Atlantic crossing.

THE CHARACTERS Father Flood - The Irish parish priest who facilitates Eilis’ immigration to Brooklyn; acts as a sponsor and mentor when she arrives. Mrs Kehoe - An Irishwoman from Wexford who runs a boarding house in Brooklyn. Deserted by her husband; takes Eilis under her wing. Miss Mc. Adam - An Irishwoman from Belfast; lodges at Mrs Kehoe’s boarding house and works as a secretary. Sheila Heffernan - Another Irish lodger from Skerries; Miss Mc. Adam’s friend. Works as a secretary. Patty Mc. Guire - A lodger at Mrs Kehoe’s. Born in New York and works in a department store. Diana Montini - A lodger at Mrs Kehoe’s; Patty’s best friend. Born in New York of an Irish mother and an Italian father. Dolores Grace - An Irish girl from Cavan; works as a ‘scrubber’.

THE CHARACTERS Elisabetta Bartocci - Eilis’ employer; daughter of Mr Bartocci, the owner of Bartocci & Company’s department store. Laura Fortini - The supervisor at Bartocci’s and Eilis’ immediate superior. Joshua Rosenblum - Eilis’ Jewish law instructor at Brooklyn College; a survivor of the Holocaust who lost his entire family during the war. Tony Fiorello - The American-Italian man whom Eilis falls in love with and marries. Lives with his parents and three brothers in Brooklyn. In his early twenties; a plumber. Laurence, Maurice and Frank Fiorello - Laurence and Maurice are Tony’s older brothers. Frank is Tony’s ‘kid’ brother; he is eight years old.

EILIS … LOST. • Eilis is subjected to a harrowing experience of loss and dislocation. She loses what she thought was her home, and feels disconnected from Brooklyn. • Her intense experience of homesickness and her observant and analytical nature allows us to engage with her and sympathise with her plight. • Eilis feels debilitated by the decision that has been made for her and “felt that she was being singled out for something for which she was not in any way prepared…” (Page 28) • She is overwhelmed and becomes aware of how fragile she is. She handles it by shitting down and refusing to think too deeply about what is happening, for fear of collapsing and losing control. • She is “careful not to think too precisely about what the next few weeks would be like in case she lost her nerve. ” (Page 28)

EILIS … LOST. • It is not until Miss Kelly makes reference to her coming home for the holidays as a visitor that the enormity of the situation becomes clear to Eilis. She begins to understand that everything she expected in her life is not going to happen, her whole self-perception, her identity, is challenged: Ø“Eilis had always presumed that she would live in the town all her life, as her mother had done. ” (Page 27) • The same sense of shock overcomes her after the death of Rose. Similarly, she had never considered that Rose would be taken from her life. She begins to become aware of the fragility and transience of life.

EILIS … LOST. • Eilis is perturbed by the unusual and jovial atmosphere of the family home before she leaves. It is “unnaturally happy. ” (Page 28) • However, she does “not allow herself to conclude that she did not want to go” (Page 29). She feels that “the rest of her life would be a struggle with the unfamiliar” (Page 30) but does not want her mother and sister to see her doubt, fear and trepidation. • In Brooklyn, Eilis remains stoic and steadfast, until she gets the letters from home. Only then does she allow herself to grieve for what she has been deprived. • The breaking point is described as a “terrible weight” and a feeling of “despondency”. Toibin describes the painful truth of how removed Eilis feels from those she has left behind. At the core of her angst is the fact that her letters contained “hardly anything personal … and nothing that sounded like anyone’s voice. ” (Page 65) • Eilis comes to the heartbreaking conclusion about “the life she had lost and would never have again” (Page 66), and that there is no turning back.

EILIS … LOST. • The agony of Eilis’ homesickness is spurred by the feeling that not only has she lost those she loves, plus a sense of purpose and integration, but Brooklyn had not yet offered anything or anyone to take their place. • She is a sad figure, lost and lonely and yearning for some meaning. She craves recognition for being more than an Irish immigrant, worker and girl. “She was nobody here … nothing meant anything … it was as though she had been locked away” (Page 67). • Her dream highlights the sense of powerlessness she feels as she sleeps in her “tomb of a bedroom” (Page 71), where she feels “shut away … trapped … tormented. ” • Selflessly, she spares her family from her despair even though by refraining from putting the experiences in the letters, it means her family “would never know her now” (Page 71).

EILIS … LOST. • There is some resignation to the pain. “She was quietly resigned to the fact that nothing would change” (Page 71). • It is Eilis’ prolonged and consistent passivity which frustrates many readers. But, her steadfastness can also be interpreted as resilience and a commitment to endure. • At the core of her despair is also a lack of true connection. This really upsets her. “She wished she had a real friend among the lodgers whom she could consult” (Page 103). • If it weren’t for her eventual meeting with Tony, Eilis would’ve been at risk of the onset of depression and hopelessness, due to her total lack of connection and feelings of worthlessness.

EILIS … GAINING A SENSE OF POWER • Although a backhanded compliment, the first suggestion that Eilis is changing comes from Patty. “At least you don’t look like you’ve just come from milking the cows anymore” (Page 125). • The most significant change in Eilis occurs when she gets the letter confirming her successful completion of her studies. “The letter had lifted her spirits, given her a new freedom” (Page 155). • She is liberated from the oppression of being dependent upon others. She feels that her future is now in her own power. Eilis now has something that is hers, hers alone, and nobody can take it from her.

EILIS … GAINING A SENSE OF POWER • Eilis allows herself to become attached to her books and Mr Rosenblum. The books give her a sense of purpose, and Mr Rosenblum introduces some levity into her life. • Upon her return to Ireland, “people commented on Eilis’ beautiful clothes, her sophisticated hairstyle and her suntan” (Page 211). • Eilis begins to gain a real sense of personal power, and this shows when she rejects her mother’s offer of Rose’s beautiful clothes. A very symbolic moment.

EILIS … ULTIMATE CONFUSION • Eilis’ newfound sense of identity causes some confusion as she now feels a sense of duality. “As though she was two people … the Eilis everyone knew or thought they knew” (Page 218). • However, she consoles herself by reminding herself that, “she carried something with her, something close to glamour” (Page 227). Eilis has become her own person; she has emerged. • But, all in all, Eilis’ doubts about Tony and her mother are dispelled by the conclusion that the problem is not with them, but with her. “Circling around them was herself, dark, uncertain” (Page 237). • Eilis’ decision to leave Jim and return to Tony / to leave Ireland return to Brooklyn “filled her with fear”. Some may argue that this decision was made for her, but is it still her decision in the end?

ROSE • Rose’s name is significant. The flower does not bloom for long. Rose, Toibin’s character, blooms right up until she finally wilts and dies. Ø The symbolism behind the name goes further: the rose has always stood for the most beautiful and most beloved of girls; the rose also has thorns. • Rose’s death is foreshadowed on the first page. “She watched Rose crossing the street from sunlight into shade…” Page 3. • Despite her glamour and femininity, Rose espouses strong feminist views and values. “She often remarked that she had a much better life than many of her former schoolmates who were to be seen pushing prams through the streets”. Page 11. Ø Toibin is alluding to an old Billy Bragg song; “but all the girls I loved in school are already pushing prams”.

IMPLICATIONS OF ROSE’S DEATH • The climax of the story. Leads to further climax in sleeping with/marrying Tony. • Just as life begins to get somewhat meaningful and as Eilis is beginning to gain momentum, the news of Rose’s death brings her undone. She wonders, “Why did I ever come here? ” Page 172. • She begins to question the value of all that she has achieved, “…it made everything that had happened to her seem small. ” Page 177. • Her overwhelming grief, as well as Tony’s readiness to comfort her and accept her, facilitates their sexual intimacy, “…she felt close to him for his willingness to take it and hold it in all its rawness, all its grief stricken confusion”. Page 184.

FATHER FLOOD • Father Flood is the conduit (motif of water!) between the old and new worlds. Between Ireland Brooklyn. • He proposes the plan/solution to Eilis’ future and the deal was “tacitly arranged” - the covenant had been sealed. This same expression can be used to describe Eilis’ marriage to Tony. Ø Despite suspecting that Rose and her mother had discussed this, Eilis does not complain, protest or question the decision. • This deal is formalised when Eilis’ mother hands her a letter from Father Flood confirming his sponsorship and Bartocci’s confirming their employment offer. He is all business. • Father Flood goes beyond the call of duty to help Eilis - even Georgina comments on the visa he was able to organise for her. He organises for a parishioner to pay her tuition fees for her course. • When Eilis asks him why he has chosen to help her, he responds, “I’m doing it for the Lord”. Is there perhaps a manipulative side to Father Flood’s character? Is he purely helpful and good?

TONY • One of the things that most endears Eilis to Tony is that he “was smiling warmly”. She likes dancing close to him. He is the first physical contact she has had with another human being in Brooklyn. • Eilis likes that Tony makes her laugh. He liberates her from inner turbulence and makes himself vulnerable, which in turn, makes her less ashamed of her own fragility. • Eilis appreciates Tony’s innocence and eagerness as it puts her at ease and makes her feel valued and respected. However, when she begins to feel for him, she is “frightened” and overwhelmed by his “immense tenderness. ” • Tony “move[s] faster” than Eilis is comfortable with. She suspects that he too has something to hide. “Somehow this delight seemed to come with a shadow” (Page 144). Eilis is very firm with him, “don’t push me” (Page 145).

TONY AND HIS FAMILY • Eilis embraces Tony and his family, especially after the baseball game, where she sees him interacting so lovingly and freely with his brothers. • She wants to be accepted, “she wanted to be as much a part of everything as she could” (Page 166). • This desire of Eilis’ to be a part of Tony’s family (or any family? ) facilitates the marriage being “tacitly agreed between them. ” • Eilis’ doubts about Tony emerge in Ireland when she finally wonders if he is nothing more than someone she was “allied with”.

JACK, GEORGINA AND MR ROSENBLUM • All three present a different aspect of the migration story. • Jack, Eilis’ brother, represents the possibility of successful integration despite his confession of initial homesickness. He tells Eilis that he has no desire to return, as “there’s nothing there for me” (Page 36). • Georgina is sophisticated, brittle, and jaded by the migrant experience. Her wisdom serves to shield Eilis from the harsh glare of those who may seize on her vulnerability as perhaps she had been at the outset. • Mr Rosenblum, a kind, gentle, father figure has his own ghastly story of migration that Eilis finds out from the bookseller. He tells Eilis of how Rosenbaum’s whole family had been murdered by Germans.

MRS KEHOE • Gruff and unsophisticated Mrs Kehoe, becomes Eilis’ first challenge. • She has no meaningful relationships with any of her boarders and we see her as a strict, by-the-book character. • Eilis attempts to reject the new basement room, bit to no avail. She butts heads with a woman who is far more experienced in being headstrong. “It’s my house so they can rage all they like, the more the merrier” (Page 99).

MOTHER (MRS LACEY) • From the outset of the novel, it is clear that Mrs Lacey has a closer relationship with Rose than she does with Eilis. All to Rose: Ø “You’ll be the belle of the golf club” (Page 3). Ø “I’ll make a special tea for you later” (Page 3). Ø “That’s a lovely thing to say” (Page 4). • This is easily contrasted with the unease Eilis feels when she returns to Enniscorthy after Rose’s death: Ø “She did not know what to say” (Page 203). Ø “…her mother had not asked her one question about her time in America” (Page 204). • Eilis comes to realise that her relationship with her mother is strained because they do not know how to relate to one another without the intervention of Rose.

JIM • Mid twenties • During his first encounter with Eilis at the local dance, Jim appears quite rude and ignores her. • When Eilis returns to Ireland, she begins a romantic relationship with him. • We are told when Jim first met Eilis he was actually very nervous and afraid of rejection. • To Eilis, Jim represents Ireland. Think back to when she watches him run along the beach with George, thinking to herself that "no American man [. . . ] would move as unself-consciously as these two did" (4. 135). We can also see this dynamic at play when Eilis observes her mother's joy at their budding relationship. In both instances, Jim represents the country that Eilis left behind when she moved to Brooklyn—a country that, after Rose's death, suddenly seems much more inviting. • It's for these same reasons, however, that Eilis knows that things won't work with Jim. She's already made choices in her life—moved to a new country and gotten married—and she knows that Jim is on a completely different path. At his core, Jim is "conservative" and "liked his position in the town, " a position that would be inevitably damaged if it was revealed that he got hot n' heavy with a married lady (4. 264). • With that, Eilis returns to Brooklyn. We don't know what will come next for her (she even alludes to writing a letter to Jim that will explain the situation) but we know that she's finally made her choice.

CHARACTER VOCAB CAN YOU THINK OF MORE TERMS TO DESCRIBE EACH OF THESE CHARACTERS? CAN YOU FIND QUOTES FROM THE NOVEL TO SUPPORT EACH OF THESE TERMS? Eilis: BEFORE MIGRATION: passive, timid, quiet, obedient, acquiescent, submissive, dependent, naive, ignorant, dowdy, observer … Eilis: AFTER MIGRATION: outgoing, confident, experienced, glamorous, intelligent, contemplative, independent … Rose: confident, outgoing, worldly, independent, self assured, outspoken, glamorous, friendly … Miss Kelly: nasty, snobbish, prejudiced, controlling, manipulative, demanding, intimidating, cunning, bitter … Mrs Kehoe: controlling, manipulative, authoritative, old-fashioned/traditional, caring … Father Flood: caring, supportive, deceptive, human, honest, power hungry, manipulative … Tony: honest, open book, loving, caring, enthusiastic, introverted, vulnerable, joker, fun, sensitive … Jim: reserved, kind, shy, self assured, vulnerable, traditional … Mrs Lacey: dependent, snobbish, quiet, superficial, manipulative … The Boarders: prejudice, snobbish, judgmental, catty …