Essay 5

For this essay I've decided to write about Vera Donovan, one of the main characters from Dolores Claiborne. For me, Vera was the most intriguing character in the book. Everything about her is interesting, and she steals every scene she appears in. She had a great big personality, a horrible temper, and secrets galore. She was instrumental to the novel's plot. Even the she and Dolores had their disagreements all throughout the story, she ended up giving Dolores courage to do something she never would have on her own. They becom friends and Vera proves to be a good sounding board for Dolores's problems.

Vera's personal life at the beginning of the book seemed to be perfect. She had a son and a daughter, a successful husband, and every material possession her heart desired. She meets Dolores when she is hiring staff for her family's summer home. As the years go on, her personal life falls into the shadows. You don't hear too much about the children, and the last thing you hear about her husband is that he died in a car accident. She doesn't have any close friends and her children don't visit her anymore. She begins to spend more and more time at her vacation home on Little Tall Island, where the novel takes place and where Dolores lives. She slowly turns into a full-time resident, and throughout the years the only constant in her life has been her head housekeeper Dolores Claiborne.

Vera suffered from dementia in her later years. She would have horrible hallucinations and nightmares and she depended on Dolores completely. King pulls off a wonderful feat in turning such a fiercely independent spirit into a weak, needy person. She's the kind of character that pulls you in and makes it easy for the reader to empathize with her.