Ceres
From the "Pomegranate" Boland's depiction of Ceres is contemporary. She marries myth with quotidian life, portraying a mom watching her teenage daughter make mistakes. Devoted to her daughter, Ceres learns that love requires sacrifice, even if the sacrifice is watching your loved one experience pain in order to allow them to grow. This is the classic dilemma of every parent, but Ceres demonstrates a more extreme sacrifice because the consequences for Persephone are exile and darkness.
Persephone
Persephone is the subject of "The Pomegranate." She's a contemporary representation of the ancient goddess of the Underworld. As a rebellious teenager, she finds herself in a sticky situation. Tempted by the cursed fruit, she given in, all the while her mother is watching, agonized. Neither Persephone nor Ceres could prevent Persephone's annual exile to Hades, but Persephone grows into the responsibility with time.
The Outsiders
The subjects of "Outside History," this group of people is legendary. Although Boland is referring especially to Irish history, she remains generic enough to apply to every revolutionary movement. The outsiders belong to no specific time or place, but they precede the modern rebellious youth. Laying the path, they first dared to risk social rejection and imprisonment for freedom. These heroes are tragic in Boland's eyes, however, because they don't win. As if only recently hearing of these historical heroes, she laments being too late to prevent their deaths.
The Couple Next Door
In "Domestic Violence" the narrator and husband move into a new home. Their next door neighbors are a young, unhappy couple. They fight loud and angry enough to be heard constantly. When their fights become particularly nasty, the neighbors remind the narrator of when she and her husband were not playing well either. The narrator recalls a particular incident where she was threatened in a kitchen and pleaded for her safety. Every time the neighbors fight she remembers that hopelessness. In the end the couple next door drifts away into memory, just the same as the narrator and her husband found new selves to relate to one another through.
