Summary Of Bastard Out Of Carolina

Within Bastard out of Carolina, Bone interacts with multiple individuals many having a lasting impact. However, two principle characters ultimately shape Bone’s disposition during the course of the book. Her stepfather, Glen Waddell, beats and sexually abuses her, which causes Bone to create an amalgam of self-hatred and violence that fill her character. In contrast, her aunt, Raylene Boatwright, serves as an inspiration for the young girl while also being a figure exuding love and safety. These two individuals come together to shape large, distinctive aspects of the young Boatwright’s character. Even as a young girl, Bone is able to acknowledge and understand her family’s less than desirable reputation. She attempts to make sense of the

His physical violence towards his stepdaughter approaches one of many peaks when he catches Bone running in the home against his orders. Through her apologies and shouts of terror, he viciously beats her and when confronted by Anney he attempts to find justification when there is none to be found. Bone narrates, “Daddy Glen told her I had called him a bastard…he cried and swore he hadn’t meant to beat me so bad”(107). Through this, Glen attempts to deflect any blame off of himself and apply it to the girl he had promised to protect earlier in the novel. From this point within the story, Glen’s bodily abuse continues and progressively crosses over into molestation. Bone then equates the trauma that she endures, and does not fully comprehend, to her self-perception. She states, “...I knew that it was nothing I had done that made him beat me. It was just me, the fact of my life, who I was in his eyes and mind. I was evil. Of course I was”(110). The pain that she receives acts as a catalyst to the self-deprecation that is formed and continuously swirls within her mind. The fantasies she has are infused with dark thoughts, as illustrated by when she questions, “…how could I explain to anyone that I hated being beaten but still masturbated to the story I told myself about

She is strong willed and independent, which is clearly evidenced from the start of her introduction. As Bone describes, “She laughed loud, with great enthusiasm, and spit to the side in a way I had never seen a grown woman do before”(180). These lines give the reader the impression that Raylene is unordinary. She is not a shy woman, nor is she a woman who perpetuates conventional behaviors. It’s in this manner that Raylene and Bone share a connection as anomalies within their own family. Furthermore, Raylene’s distinct personality serves as inspiration for Bone. When she learns of Raylene’s past, she ponders, “…a girl couldn’t go roaming so easily…But Raylene had done it, and I loved to think how I might too”(179). These lines have important significance as they evidence a character that Bone aspires to mirror in terms of