Acting Dynasty
First and foremost, this is a book about a family that produced America’s first acting dynasty. The Barrymores, Fondas, Carradines and Coppolas would all follow, but the Booths are singularly responsible for planting the germ of the idea that acting ability among Americans is genetically transferable. As such, little wonder that conversation about theater is robust in their discourse and peppered with metaphorical comparisons. “Do you know what Coleridge, the poet, said about Kean? Coleridge said that watching Kean act was like reading Shakespeare by lightning.” This simile refers to the most famous British actor to date in a quote allegedly said by one of the most famous poets of the time. Considering that this question is posed to the American equivalent of Kean, it hardly needs to be answered. Such was the status of the Booths, however, that everyone took any opportunity afforded to try to impress them.
John Brown
John Brown was zealous abolitionist who became a martyr for the cause. He is an iconic example of how perception relative to revolutionary motivations. To the Union, Brown was a freedom fighter. To the Confederacy he was a terrorist. To John Wilkes Booth, “Brown is an instrument of evil, but also a Shakespearean hero.” Shakespeare seems to have been acutely aware of the hero/villain duality. Booth is not off-course here. It is possible to be both evil and a Shakespearean hero. Of course, he is wrong about Brown being evil and he himself is proof that it is possible to be evil without heroism of any kind.
Grief
Grief is an ever-present emotion throughout the narrative, as it was throughout the period covered by the narrative. When it visits, it usually takes some sort of metaphorical form, almost as if the literal conditions of the situation are not equipped to handle the profound depth of turmoil. “Grief had destroyed Rosalie’s parents. It seemed that God had reached down and scooped out the middle of the family as casually as if he were eating a watermelon.” The death of little Mary Ann is portrayed as ravaging the sensibilities of the family not just here.
Byron
Rosalie quotes from Lord Byron’s “Don Juan” because her mother always refers to the poems of the Romantic poet as the thing which tipped the scales in favor of the amorous pursuit by the children’s father. This phrase was intended to be an ironic warning, but it was perhaps too subtly spoken. Rosalie’s utterance indicates she finally understands the irony. “Marriage from love, like vinegar from wine.” The metaphor suggests that while most marriages may start out as intoxicating romance, they almost end up sour. There is a subtext in this quote, however, that seems to implicate it as meaningful outside marriage. It suggests a larger application to things which intoxicate the senses but then outlast their welcome.
The Puppetmaster
Edwin is ill-suited to the villainous roles which made his father famous. One by one, he tries his hand at bringing to life those roles which made his father’s reputation. And every time he goes on stage, he can feel the ghostly presence of his father’s controlling his every move: “Like a rebellious puppet.” The answer, of course, is obvious. Rosalie even considers flat out telling him the answer to his problems. Nevertheless, he rejects the easier path of playing the handsome leads to establish his own legacy on the stage and instead travels down the exact same path as his father. The Booths are a peculiarly self-destructive lot.
