Character Analysis Of Mary Jo Kopechne In Joyce Carol Oates Black Water

“Am I going to die? —like this?” (Oates 1). This novel brings out realism and is put into a fictional version of what happened in 1969 in Chappaquiddick. In 1969, Ted Kennedy was taking Mary Jo Kopechne to the ferry slip, he took a sharp turn and plunged off this bridge into a pond. Kennedy was able to escape, he tried going back to save her, but failed to do so. He later went back to his hotel and took ten hours to report the accident. Twenty-three years later Oates brings out Mary Jo Kopechne’s thoughts as she drowned in the Black Water. It illustrates how Mary Jo Kopechne is slowly getting closer to her death as the air bubble that keeps her alive becomes water. In Black Water written by Joyce Carol Oates gives the complicated relationships

Who would blame her, she had been obsessing over him since college. “Kelly Kelleher, baptismal name Elizabeth Anne Kelleher, had written her ninety page senior honors thesis on The Senator” (Oates 12). She worked hard researching about his campaign. Buffy St. John was the one who introduced The Senator to Kelly, she almost seemed jealous of Kelly because The Senator had such an interest in Kelly. “Kelly Kelleher envisioned herself working for The Senator’s presidential campaign.” (Oates 26) The man whom they thought would never even show up to the party all of a sudden came and swept Kelly off her feet. She never thought that getting in the Toyota, that warm summer night, with the man she idolized would eventually lead her to her

John did not want Kelly to leave with The Senator that night. ”Kelly’s friend Buffy St. John with whom she’d roomed at Brown—-Buffy, Kelly’s closest friend.” (Oates 27) They both worked in the magazine industry and Buffy was the more successful friend out of the two. Buffy had been with Ray Annick which is The Senators best friend. He was the one who invited The Senator to the party. Buffy seemed as a jealous type of friend she didn't like that Kelly was getting all the attention. Kelly had even got with one of Buffy’s ex lovers. His name was Fritz he had taken Kelly out on dates before amicably, but he thought that eventually he’d be able to get a little more out of her. Buffy also seemed to be very snarky, she said things in a “sly sort of joke, a nudging complicity you didn’t quite absorb until later, or, simply bluntly, a statement of fact.”(Oates 122) Buffy and Kelly’s relationship was almost as if they were frenemies both fighting for the same fame. Kelly’s relationships throughout her life weren’t always the best. She had a lover for three months known as G——. It had been the last man she had been with since The Senator that night. They had moved in together and things all of and sudden ended. Kelly truly loved the man, you could even say she loved him more than he loved