The Fields: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Fields: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the lives of key figures within a pioneering community, focusing on personal growth, familial challenges, and societal changes. Central to the narrative is Sayward Wheeler, known as Saird, a determined pioneer woman dedicated to her family, who confronts the complexities of motherhood and marital strife after deciding to separate from her husband, Portius. Portius, a backwoods lawyer, grapples with his ambitions and infidelity, ultimately seeking reconciliation with Sayward. Their relationship is further complicated by external circumstances, including the unexpected pregnancy of a schoolteacher, which adds layers of community dynamics and personal conflict.
Other significant characters include Sayward’s supportive sister Genny, who possesses a beautiful singing voice, and her brother Wyitt, who embodies the ruggedness of the frontier lifestyle. The narrative also highlights Sayward’s children, particularly Resolve, who discovers his passion for learning during a period of recovery, and Sulie, who tragically meets an untimely death. Collectively, these characters illustrate the harsh realities and resilient spirit of pioneers navigating their personal and collective challenges amidst the backdrop of a changing landscape. This analysis invites readers to reflect on themes of love, loyalty, ambition, and the impact of community on individual lives.
The Fields: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Conrad Richter
First published: 1946
Genre: Novel
Locale: Northwest Territory, later Ohio
Plot: Regional
Time: Early nineteenth century
Sayward Wheeler, called Saird, a strong pioneer woman who wants many children; but after having eight, she decides that seven living and one dead are enough, and she leaves her husband's bed. She lives through a period when the forest disappears as the pioneer settlement grows. She contributes her share to this growth and donates land for a meeting house. She realizes that she has neglected her husband and that he has been sleeping with the schoolteacher in the community. When the schoolteacher must quickly marry another man because she is going to have Portius' baby, Sayward is very much ashamed and is reconciled with her husband.
Portius Wheeler, a backwoods lawyer and schoolteacher, Sayward's husband. He has a hand in making Ohio a state and in making his community thrive and grow. Having no desire to return to his family in Boston, he tells them so. Portius wants to move his family into the new town, but Sayward refuses to be parted from the country. Portius has an affair with the schoolmistress but later returns to Sayward.
Genny Scurrah, Sayward's sister, who is a fine singer and who helps Sayward deliver her first child.
Wyitt Luckett, Sayward's brother, who realizes that he is a woodsman, as was his father. When he finds that all the game is gone from the woods, he moves on west.
Resolve Wheeler, Sayward's eldest son. He breaks his leg on a trip with his father and, while recuperating, he discovers that he has a great love of learning and books. When he returns home, he again breaks his leg in order to have time to read.
Sulie Wheeler, Sayward's daughter, who is named after Sayward's lost sister. The young Sulie is burned to death.
Mistress Bartram, a schoolteacher, to whom Portius turns when Sayward refuses to sleep with him. Because she is pregnant with Portius'child, she is married rather hurriedly to Jake Tench.
Jake Tench, the man who builds the first keelboat in the township.
Judah MacWhirter, a neighbor of the Wheelers who is bitten by a dog and dies of rabies.
Guerdon Wheeler, Kinzie Wheeler, Huldah Wheeler, Sooth Wheeler, Libby Wheeler, Dezia Wheeler, and Mercy Wheeler, Sayward and Portius' other children.