|
Some earlier comments mentioned parallels with The Natural. There, Roy was largely the agent of his own downfall, a hero with a tragic flaw whose transgressions were on full view. Even though I felt Roy's punishment was disproportionate to his sins, and bemoaned the absence of a chance for redemption, Malamud wrote a bleak and depressing morality tale.
But what has Fitzgerald written? Florence has neither grandeur nor great flaws. What was the point of The Bookshop? She opens a bookshop and muddles along with it, until she's forced out by someone who wants her space. There could be some drama in that, but Fitzgerald doesn't make it dramatic. Florence is mostly passive, from beginning to end--she barely even tries.
I'm just now seeing the parallels between Florence and Christine. Both are attempting something new, both are optimistic about success, both are crushed. Christine, though, seems to have so much more life than Florence, which made me care so much more about her fate.
|