Couples (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: John Updike
- First Published: 1968
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Social morality
- Time of Work: 1963-1964
- Setting: Tarbox, Massachusetts
- Genres: Long fiction
- Subjects: 1960’s
- Locales: Tarbox, MA
Characters Discussed
Piet Hanema (peet), a builder and partner in the firm of Gallagher and Hanema, Real Estate and Contracting. A muscular, restless, red-headed, thirty-four-year-old Korean War veteran whose Dutch parents died in an auto accident, he worries about damnation and the aimlessness of his life. An insomniac and a womanizer, he has dreams that are often morbid, and his lusty heterosexuality is a subversive influence on the other Tarbox couples. Hired by Ken and Foxy Whitman to repair their house, he becomes the pregnant woman’s lover and later impregnates her...
[The entire page is 1894 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
