Daughter of Earth: Analysis of Major Characters
"Daughter of Earth: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the lives and struggles of key figures in a narrative focused on themes of survival, identity, and social justice. The protagonist, Marie Rogers, emerges from a challenging childhood marked by economic hardship in the American Midwest. As she seeks independence through various occupations, her journey reflects her commitment to education and activism against injustice, particularly within the scope of the Indian nationalist movement.
Supporting characters, such as her mother Elly, embody the harsh realities of poverty and the sacrifices made for their children's futures. Marie's relationships with her family members, including her sisters Annie and Beatrice, as well as her brother George, illustrate diverse responses to their shared struggles. The narrative also introduces significant male figures, like her husbands Knut and Anand, whose relationships with Marie highlight her complex understanding of love and commitment.
Through the interactions between these characters, the text explores the impact of societal expectations and personal convictions on their lives, offering a nuanced perspective on resilience and the pursuit of justice.
Daughter of Earth: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Agnes Smedley
First published: 1929
Genre: Novel
Locale: The American Midwest and Southwest, and New York City
Plot: Autobiographical
Time: The 1890's to the 1920's
Marie Rogers, the narrator and protagonist, the daughter of poor laborers who move through Missouri, Oklahoma, and Colorado in search of work. Although she is a survivor, childhood experiences warp her understanding of love, tenderness, and compassion. She escapes her economically oppressive world to become a secretary, magazine saleswoman, and teacher in the West, and, later, a socialist journalist and dedicated activist in the Indian nationalist movement in New York. She is driven by two unyielding beliefs: that work will give her money to use for education, which will ensure her economic independence, and that she can maintain her freedom by resisting the demands of family, sex, and marriage, the complexities of which she does not fully understand. She is passionately committed to struggling against all forms of injustice.
Elly Rogers, the mother of Marie and her four siblings. A beautiful young woman, subject to frequent brutality and erratic support from her husband, she works diligently but hopelessly at various menial jobs to maintain her children. She cares deeply for them and desires especially that they be educated, but both her dreams and her affections are crushed by the struggle for life's essentials. She dies, in her late thirties, of malnutrition and related causes.
John Rogers, the husband of Elly and father of their children. Less practical and more imaginative and fun-loving than his wife, he rarely earns enough money working on farms and in mining camps to provide an adequate living for his family. To escape his responsibilities, he periodically deserts them, resorts to alcohol, defends himself with physical cruelty, and dreams of a better future.
Annie Rogers, Marie's older sister. She acquires limited independence by earning her own money in a laundry. She marries Sam Walker at the age of sixteen and dies in childbirth within two years.
Beatrice Rogers, Marie's younger sister. Unlike Marie, she initially places higher value on physical strength than on education in the struggle for survival. Although she temporarily joins Marie in work and school and shares meager resources with her, the two sisters never establish a close relationship.
George Rogers, Marie's younger brother, for whom she feels a special bond. When he is jailed for stealing a horse, Marie sends what money she has, accompanied by an unsym-pathetic letter that haunts her after George is accidentally killed as a young man.
Dan Rogers, Marie's youngest sibling. Unable to secure work elsewhere, he joins the army at the age of eighteen and fights in Europe during World War I. After the war, he is given land in New Mexico, where he works with his father and his brother-in-law Sam.
Helen, Elly Rogers' sister. She earns money as a hired girl on the farm, as a laundry worker, and, eventually, as a prostitute. A beautiful woman who appreciates beautiful things, she resists the economic dependence and powerlessness of marriage, supports herself, and generously shares her earnings with Elly and her children.
Knut Larsen, a handsome, cultivated, and educated young Scandinavian. He is Marie's first husband, whom she marries at the age of eighteen. Although their marriage is based on mutual respect and agreement, Knut is unable to pierce Marie's fear of men, sex, and children. After two abortions and consistent though sincere misunderstandings, the couple obtain a divorce.
Karin Larsen, the young, lovely, educated sister of Knut, originally from the East but teaching in Phoenix when Marie meets her. She provides friendship and support for Marie when they move to San Francisco and then in New York.
Anand Manvekar (AH-nahnd man-VEE-kahr), an intelligent, attractive, energetic, radical leader of the Indian nationalist movement, in his thirties. He is Marie's second husband. They love and admire each other, but ultimately their marriage is destroyed by his suspicions about her previous relationship with Juan Diaz, whom he dislikes and distrusts, as well as Anand and Marie's mutual inability to understand each other's convictions on various personal and political issues.
Sardar Ranjit Singh (SAHR-dahr RAN-jiht sihng), a lecturer, writer, and active member of the Indian nationalist movement. He becomes Marie's private tutor, introducing her to the serious discipline of study, particularly of all facets of Indian history and culture.
Juan Diaz (wahn DEE-ahz), a half-Hindu, half-Portuguese activist in the Indian nationalist movement. After sexually attacking Marie, he secures her promise not to reveal the incident. Later, he betrays their mutual confidence, misrepresents her behavior in their relationship, and destroys her credibility and Anand's among their Indian associates.
Talvar Singh (TAHL-vahr), a young Indian nationalist who entrusts crucially important information to Marie, which she protects to the point of imprisonment.