The Ability of One to Change

Do people really have the ability to change throughout their lives? The answer to this question lies within Marilynne Robinson’s book Home. Robinson creates complex characters who each face various challenges, whether it be with their faith or alcoholism. The three main characters, Jack, Glory, and Robert Boughton, all change throughout the book depending on their growing relationships with one another. Jack’s transformation results from his developing relationship with Glory and the decline of his relationship with his father, Glory’s transformation comes from Jack and his growing standards for himself, and Robert’s transformation results from Jack’s recurring mistakes.

The character whose change appears most apparent is Jack. As a child who has not seen his family for 20 years, his first encounter with Robert and Glory seems slightly awkward. During this encounter Jack is polite, yet seems uncomfortable around his own family members. Robinson’s choice of diction displays this when she writes, “after two days it was clear that Jack would stay in his room until his father woke up, and then he would come down, presentable, respectfully affable, and attend on the old man” (44). Though Jack’s appearance at home begins as uncomfortable, the awkwardness lessens as

Glory and Jack’s relationship blossoms and they are able to open up to each other.

The day Jack comes home he smells of alcohol and looks ragged and worn down, implying that he lacks high standards for himself. As him and Glory grow closer and he allows himself to open up, she attempts to remind Jack that he tends to be too hard on himself. Readers notice this when Glory tells Jack, “I like your soul the way it is” (105). Because Glory shows true interest in Jack and his well being, he begins to develop higher standards for himself. Before Jack leaves at the end of the book and Glory offers him money he tells her, “Too much. You know how much liquor this would buy me” (317)? Prior to coming home he likely spent great amounts of money on alcohol, so this exemplifies his newfound strength and self control. Though Jack realizes he cannot change his past, he recognizes that and embraces it, and he refers to himself as a “changed man” (117).

Jack not only changes because of his developing relationship with Glory and both of their abilities to open up to each other, but also from his attempt to find God. Though religion is not a prime importance in Jack’s life in the beginning, he attempts to incorporate it into his life for his father’s sake. Though in the end he cannot truly believe in the way he desires to, his efforts influence his morals in a positive light. Jack’s plan to lie to Robert about his religion to put him at peace fell through when Jack “lost his nerve” (297) and told him the truth. As a result of Robert’s brutal honesty and anger towards Jack, Jack decides to rely on honesty, something he would not have done prior to his transformation.

Not only does Jack and Glory’s developing relationship affect Jack, but it affects Glory also. Throughout the book Glory has no plan for her future. Jack tells her “I’m not sure you should stay here Glory” (316), encouraging her to go out and live her life rather than spending her life taking care of her father. She is finally able to envision the rest of her life near the end of the novel. When she meets Jack’s son, she sees her future in a whole new light. While daydreaming about the day when Robert (Jack’s son) would come back to visit, she says “he cannot know that my whole life has come down to this moment” (325). Not only does Glory experience this epiphany, but she experiences other change as well.

Another change Glory undergoes comes as a result of Jack raising his standards for himself. Soon after Jack comes home Glory searches his room for alcohol, and succeeds in finding it. As their relationship develops she grows less skeptical of Jack, and she no longer worries about his unfavorable habits. Like mentioned above, Jack declines her offer for money in order to avoid being enticed by his addiction. Jack also tells Glory that, “there are a couple bottles in the loft” (276), so she will know to remove the temptation. When this occurs, Glory experiences a change in her mindset and she stops worrying about Jack like she used to. As Glory becomes more confident in Jack, she no longer worries about his alcoholism, and her trust in him improves their relationship as a whole.

Glory and Jack’s father Robert, clearly a man of faith, experiences change as a result of Jack’s development. Though he had no contact with Jack for 20 years, he remains gracious to him and forgives him when he first comes home. Even before that, when writing a letter in response to Jack’s he “put a little check in there” (27), demonstrating his generosity and graciousness. The longer Jack remains at home the more chances he has to make what his father views as mistakes. As Jack becomes more open with his values and beliefs he openly admits that he stands with the black protestors, unlike Robert who follows the stereotypical view most Caucasian people held at the time. Though this is a simple example, it exemplifies how many differences Jack and Robert have. Because they focus their lives on different things, the quality of their relationship declines as the book continues.

Robert has other disagreements with Jack as well, many dealing with religion. Being a reverend, Robert dwells highly on religion, while Jack finds it difficult to believe. Through all of this Robert has found ways to forgive Jack. However, as he gets older and more delusional, he tells Jack how he truly feels. Jack attempts to put Robert at peace before he leaves when Robert snaps, “I thanked God for him every day of his life, no matter how much grief, how much sorrow – and at the end of it all there is only more grief, more sorrow…” (294), referring to Jack. At this point Robert and Jack’s relationship deteriorates. Robert experiences a change of heart when he decides that Jack is no longer worth forgiving.

Robinson’s complex characters experience changes resulting from one another’s actions. Though nothing exhilarating happens throughout the plot in Home, the miniscule details of character development are what account for the changes in each character’s morality and their relationships with one another. Jack’s growing relationship with Glory guides him to realize that he can better himself, Glory’s overall mindset shifts in a positive light, and Robert’s inability to agree with Jack results in a negative relationship for the two of them. By incorporating change into each of her characters, Robinson effectively demonstrates that most people will experience change at some point in their lives, though it may not always be positive. How people change depends on the relationships they build and pursue with one another.

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