Anne Tyler, If Morning Ever Comes

Cecilia Donohue (Independent Scholar - North America)
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Alongside the universal literary theme of quest for identity, Anne Tyler, in her first published novel

If Morning Ever Comes

(1964), addresses a pair of issues often visited by both past and present women writers of the American South. These are: (1) the irresistible pull of home and family despite responsibilities elsewhere; and (2) home and hearth as the locus of empowerment for women.

Protagonist Benjamin Josiah, or “Ben Joe” Hawkes, a law student at New York City’s Columbia University, answers a self-induced summons in mid-semester to return to his native Sandhill, North Carolina, to see his older sister Joanne, who has separated from her husband Gary. Joanne’s marital problems are not the only distaff challenges Ben Joe encounters on his trip back home. Encounters with his

455 words

Citation: Donohue, Cecilia. "If Morning Ever Comes". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 September 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4589, accessed 28 March 2024.]

4589 If Morning Ever Comes 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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