Character Analysis of Anna Close in As We Are Now by May Sarton

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When Anna Close is first introduced in the novel, As We Are Now she is referred to as Mrs. Close. From what I gather, this was to represent a sort of formality between her and Caro because they were not yet acquainted. Not only this, but it also seems that it was Harriet and Rose's way of manipulating Caro to fear the worst out of Harriet's replacement. Caro knew better than to expect someone who would actually care for her, because of this she was surprised beyond belief when she met Anna.
Anna Close's character is introduced much later in the novel. I believe that this was done on purpose because Anna's kindness made a world of difference to Caro's experience at Twin Elms. From the beginning of the book, Caro is constantly at wits end and has a tendency to heavily depend on the little things that help her get through her stay at the home such as visits from the Thornhills, time spent with Standish and hope that her brother, John will continue to visit. When she meets Anna, her entire outlook on the past few months begins to change. She realizes that prior to her stay at Twin Elms, when she was living with John and his wife, Ginny, she could have been kinder and tried to go out of her way to make Ginny feel more appreciated and included in the discussions she shared with her brother. Caro begins to blame herself for being put into her current living situation.
From the very beginning, Anna's first impression on Caro was a positive one. Caro had been through so much in the past several months that she appreciated every little thing Anna did for her such as dusting and cleaning her room, changing her sheets and bringing her a linen cloth with her meal. Unlike Harriet and Rose, Anna went out of her way to get to know Caro on a...

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...Standish passes away. Fred and the others are pleased with Standish's death because he was considered a tough soul to break at Twin Elms. Standish was constantly fighting Harriet and Rose in any way he could manage. The others felt triumphant with his death because it meant that they had survived. I do not think Fred and the others were terrible people, nor do I blame them for the things they said and did in celebration for Standish's death. Personally, I sympathize with everyone who has been subjected to live at Twin Elms. Anyone would be effected by the maltreatment Harriet and Rose distributed upon everyone. Fred and these men may have been nice gentlemen at one point in their life prior to coming to the home, but it seems that their treatment is what caused them to become disrespectful and dirty in ways they never dreamed themselves to be when they were younger.

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