Nov 12, 2009

Virtuous Woman, a | Characters

Gibbons's characters are for the most part unsentimental and accustomed to their hard lives. Ruby and Jack are the focal characters in A Virtuous Woman as they reveal the history of their courtship and marriage. Readers are introduced to Ruby through Jack's memories after his wife's death. These passages are supplemented with Ruby's reflections on her life as she prepares to die. Her lifespan depicts her transition from an unworldly, privileged daughter to a capable, dedicated wife. Already a widow, she is only twenty when she meets Jack, and they are married for twenty-five...