In the Beauty of the Lilies | Characters
Chronicling four generations of the Wilmot family, Updike concentrates on one member in each generation: Clarence Wilmot, a Protestant minister; his youngest son Teddy, who earns his living as a postal carrier; Teddy's daughter Esther, who becomes a Hollywood star; and Esther's son Clark.
Updike devotes less attention to Clarence than to any other of his major characters. A minister in Paterson, New Jersey, at the turn of the twentieth century, Clarence is a model clergyman until doubts about the existence of God finally drive him to leave the pulpit. The loss of faith shatters his will...
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