The Barracks (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: John McGahern
- First Published: 1963
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Social realism
- Time of Work: Late 1940’s
- Setting: Western Ireland; Dublin, Ireland; and London, England
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction, Social realism
- Subjects: Children, Family or family life, Self-discovery, Love or romance, Rural or country life, Doctors, Cancer, Adultery, Death or dying, London, Ireland or Irish people, Joy or sorrow, Tumors
- Locales: London, England, Dublin, Ireland
Characters Discussed
Elizabeth Reegan, a former nurse, forty years old, now married to a sergeant in the Irish police force. She is stepmother to his three children. After a nursing career in London during World War II and a passionate love affair that does not work out, Elizabeth returns to western Ireland and marries against her family’s advice. the novel covers the year during which she suspects, confirms, and fails to live through cancer. The real issue, however, is not Elizabeth’s physical cancer but the cancer of her growing conviction that life is essentially without...
[The entire page is 825 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
