Importance Of Rose In Brooklyn

In Colm Toibin’s novel “Brooklyn”, Rose’s connection to her home is through her role and obligations to her family. Her commitment to her mother and sister limits her opportunities for marriage and a family of her own. However, she manages to create a life for herself that is separate from her family, one that she is happy with. Despite her personal satisfaction with her own life, she sends Eilis away to live in Brooklyn because she wants a better life for her. Rose is therefore not totally defined by her connection to home, but it appears that she wished to spare her sister the hindrances she experienced.

In the novel, Rose is somewhat defined by her role in the family. She is the family’s provider, her mother’s carer and a role model

Rose. During the decision of Eilis moving to Brooklyn, Eilis thinks “the wrong sister was leaving” and views Rose staying as a “sacrifice”. Eilis realises that “Rose would not be able to marry”. In the 1950s, marrying was important to women’s financial security - one of the reasons George Sheridan is attractive to Nancy is that he runs “ a shop that did a thriving business in the Market Square”. It also is evident that her mother, without her husband, is unable to support herself. Rose being unable to marry, means that she has also lost a means of being supported financially by a husband. Eilis’s leaving sees Rose taking on the role of her mother’s carer. We are told Rose’s mother “could never be left to live alone” due to her being “too lonely without any of them”. Eilis sees Rose 's future attending to tasks that “her mother could not” as “her mother got older and more frail”, making Rose “care for her even more”. Rose’s role of caring for her mother hinders her ability to have her own family. Eilis realises that “in making it easy for her to go”, Rose “was giving up any real prospect of leaving this house and having her own house, with her own family.” So Rose’s role in and obligation to her family hinders her by limiting her opportunities for marriage and a

Her letters convey a “sense of supreme self-possession and self-confidence”. Rose is also skilled at dealing with other people. On the boat, she “made an exception of herself”, and is allowed to stay on the boat with Eilis “until half an hour before it was due to sail”. Rose comments on this, saying that “Some people are nice...if you talk to them properly, they can be even nicer”, which Eilis adopts as her “motto in America”. Rose is repeatedly presented as a role model for Eilis - “Rose was a great example to me”, and Eilis imitates her when she needs to be forthright and confident, for example, when Eilis is thanking the helpful porter at Liverpool, she uses a “tone that Rose might have used”, and when Eilis is worried that Father Flood would judge her for committing a mortal sin with Tony, she decides to “model herself on Rose, stand up now as Rose might have done”.

Rose has also created a life for herself outside of the family. She is well regarded at her work - after her death, Rose’s workmate Maria tells Eilis - “Rose was the essence of efficiency and is much missed”. She is also well regarded at the golf club, and following her death, the golf club honors Rose’s memory following her death, creating a special trophy in her name.

Even though rose is in some ways hindered by the sacrifices she had to make for the family,