Insightful Olive

            Books offer readers a unique opportunity to see inside someone else’s head and live a different life, unveiling insights one may have never considered. Such is the case in the novel Olive Kitteridge by award-winning author Elizabeth Strout. Strout tells the chronicle of Olive Kitteridge through thirteen short stories focusing on various residents of Crosby, Maine as well as Olive herself at varying ages. The tales focusing on the Kitteridges at an older age especially resonated with me and taught me valuable lessons. After losing both of my grandmothers, I had never taken the time to truly comprehend their passing’s effect on my grandfathers, only how it impacted me. Through Strout’s depiction of Olive losing her husband, Henry, I began to genuinely understand and sympathize with my grandpas. For instance, after Olive’s friend and widower, Jack Kennison, declares that his wife had recently passed away, Olive states “Then, you’re in hell,” (55). Her short syntax and simple statement evokes pathos, generating empathy from those who have lost a loved one. Personally, Olive’s facile declaration allowed me to understand what my grandfathers have to deal with on a daily basis: a living hell. Moreover, Olive noted how young people do not understand that “aged… bodies were as needy as theirs,” (270). Through this simile, Strout asserts that humans, especially the youth, tend to forget that all people stand as equal and have the same needs, regardless of age; we all want to love and be loved. Admittedly, I have forgotten this more than once, but Olive’s cogitation combined with the portrayal of her loneliness allowed me to understand how important a thought it is. Throughout the novel, I would think back to the times where I would not stay home for a family dinner with one of grandfathers because I had plans to hang out with my friends and felt immense guilt. I used to treat outings with my friends as more important, despite seeing them every day, but Olive taught me to treat those you love equally as just that: equals. I believe Strout writes to people like me who did not take time to fully understand the struggles of aging in order to illustrate how much the elderly value companionship and that one should cherish each moment spent with loved ones.

Olives Have Layers

                Elizabeth Strout, a New York Times bestselling author, combines thirteen short stories about the residents of Crosby, Maine in order to tell the complex story of the title character in her 2008 novel, Olive Kitteridge. Written in modern-day America, where many have questioned if society has become progressively crueler, Strout depicts the growth of Olive Kitteridge and her struggle to overcome her husband’s stroke. Although I sympathize with Olive, her attitude in the first half of the novel appalled me. For instance, prior to his stroke, Henry solemnly noted how Olive has “’never once apologized. For anything,’” (123). Henry acts as a synecdoche of those who have experienced Olive’s cold personality and his defeated tone, implied through his short syntax, illustrates how frustrated Olive can make people, including her own husband. Strout evokes pathos by having Olive discourage Henry, who people repeatedly call a “’nice man;’” readers, including myself, who sympathize with kind, innocent men like Henry feel shocked by Olive’s harsh treatment of him (149). She mistreats various other characters throughout the novel’s first half; ergo, I did not feel particularly fond of Olive, despite my extreme compassion for her struggles. However, as the novel progressed, and especially after Henry’s stroke, Olive learned to contain her adverse thoughts, and I began to enjoy her character more. Olive even volunteers to help at a funeral because she knows Henry would have wanted to if he had the ability. At the event, she offers “’Put me to work, Molly’” (167). The novelist’s overall juxtaposition of Olive’s bossy past-self and her helpful, submissive self illustrates her attitude shift. Although Olive did not become an instant saint and still had negative thoughts, her efforts to act outwardly kind impressed me. My sympathy for her remained constant throughout the novel, but my overall opinion of Olive became progressively more positive as she began to internalize her criticism and assist others. I advise those who dislike Olive to acknowledge her difficult life and appreciate her efforts to become kindhearted. Furthermore, I encourage those who found themselves relating to Olive’s actions in the novel’s first half to mirror her attempt to increase her compassion.

Powerful Parallels

            Elizabeth Strout tells the story of Olive and Henry Kitteridge through delicately woven chapters, each resembling a short story, in her 2008 novel, Olive Kitteridge. Written in modern-day America where over 40% of marriages end in divorce or separation, the small tales mostly feature various relationships in the shared the setting of Portland, Maine, a small-town similar to the one Strout grew up in. The novelist’s reoccurring parallels between the various chapters appeal to me due to their unique way of both telling and showing Strout’s assertions. For instance, in “The Piano Player,” Angie O’Meara receives a visit from her vindictive ex-boyfriend, Simon. After Simon degrades Angie in order to compensate for his lost dreams, Angie describes his actions as “thin milk” (58). By comparing Simon’s actions to nutritionally insufficient thin milk, the author asserts that people rarely gain genuine salvation through vengeful actions. Rather, one achieves a temporary satisfaction that fails to eradicate the true source of their dismay. In the next narrative, the first of Olive’s own stories entitled “A little Burst,” Strout reverses her narrative position and illustrates the assaulting perspective through Olive. After her son Christopher’s wedding, Olive overhears her new daughter-in-law, Suzanne, criticizing her mother-in-law’s dress and the already agitated Olive reacts strongly. Olive resolves to steal a few of Suzanne’s clothing items and draw a black streak on Suzanne’s sweater; when looking back of her actions, Olive reckons “It does not help much,” (73). Strout juxtaposes the two chapters in order to demonstrate that neither side benefits from spiteful reactions, and the repetition of this idea emphasizes the assertion’s prominence. Furthermore, Strout anticipates the possible judgments of readers and, thus, positions Simon’s outburst prior to Olive’s in order to prevent overzealous criticisms of Olive as almost all of society has had a vengeful impulse. Although I believe these kneejerk reactions often prove unpreventable, I encourage excessively hostile readers to recognize the uselessness of their actions. Moreover, I advise victims to acknowledge instances where they have done the victimizing and understand the trivial nature of their assailant’s actions.