Bastard Out of Carolina (Magill’s Literary Annual 1991-2005)
At a glance:
- Author: Dorothy Allison
- First Published: 1992
- Type of Work: Novel
- Time of Work: Mid- to late twentieth century
- Setting: North Carolina
- Principal Characters: Ruth Anne (Bone) Boatwright, Anney Boatwright Parsons Waddell, Granny Boatwright, Reese Parsons, Glen Waddell, Raylene Boatwright
- Genres: Long fiction, Bildungsroman, Domestic realism, Family literature
- Subjects: 1950’s, Girls, Maturation or coming of age, 1960’s, Family or family life, Mothers, Parents and children, Adolescence, Teenagers, Sex or sexuality, Abused persons, South or Southerners, Poverty or poor people, Child abuse, Rape, Violence, Illegitimacy, Stepfamily
- Locales: South (U.S.), Greenville County, SC
Although Dorothy Allison’s first novel, Bastard Out of Carolina, is a story of cruelty, violence, and child abuse, it is also a story of survival and of triumph. At the end of the novel, Ruth Anne Boatwright, or Bone, as she has been nicknamed, is not quite thirteen years old. She already has endured more than many adults, however, and, amazingly, she has emerged from her trials with confidence in herself and in her future. Bastard Out of Carolina is also the story of the Boatwright clan, a rough lot whose gift to Bone is not only a place of refuge from her abusive stepfather but...
[The entire page is 2965 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
