A Founding Mother: A Novel of Abigail Adams

John Adams serves as the deuteragonist of the novel, a round and dynamic character whose public life as a founder dictates the trajectory of his family’s story. He is portrayed as a man of immense contradictions: A brilliant and principled lawyer who is also prone to vanity and a blistering temper; a self-professed “misanthrope” (12) who possesses a “more tender heart than anyone else knew” (12); and a devoted husband who can be emotionally cruel and neglectful. His ambition is his primary motivation, driving him from his humble Braintree farm to the halls of Congress and the courts of Europe. This ambition is not purely for personal glory but is intertwined with a deep, unwavering patriotism and a desire to build a stable, lasting American republic. However, this dedication to public service frequently places him at odds with his duties as a husband and father, making his life a central example of The Toll of Public Service on Family.

John’s development is tracked through his evolving relationship with Abigail. In their early years, he cherishes her as an intellectual equal, engaging her in debate and relying on her counsel. However, he remains a product of his time, dismissing her pleas for women’s rights and failing to comprehend the depth of her sacrifices. The long years of separation during his diplomatic service in Europe mark a turning point, where his loneliness and political pressures manifest as a cold and accusatory tone in his letters, causing a rift in their marriage. It is only upon their reunion and in his later years that he fully grasps the extent of his dependence on Abigail, acknowledging her as his “whole happiness” (248) and the indispensable partner in all his accomplishments. This journey culminates when he agrees to legally execute Abigail’s will, thereby validating her personhood and the equality he had once dismissed.

In his public role, John is a titan of the revolution, but one whose principles often leave him isolated. He defends the British soldiers after the Boston Massacre out of a commitment to the rule of law, risking his reputation. He champions a mixed government with checks and balances, fearing the tyranny of the majority, which earns him the false label of a monarchist. His presidency is marked by his courageous and unpopular decision to seek peace with France, an act that costs him re-election but saves the young nation from a disastrous war. Though often overshadowed in public memory by Washington and Jefferson, the novel positions him as a central, if difficult, architect of the United States, a man whose immense public contributions were made possible only by the sacrifices of the family he so often left behind.

John Quincy Adams, known as Johnny, is a supporting character whose development from a “brave and inquisitive boy” (58) to a world-renowned diplomat with “a reputation as a fine political thinker” (283) is proof of the Adams family legacy. Intelligent, serious, and dutiful, he internalizes his parents’ devotion to public service from a young age. His childhood is defined by the revolution; he witnesses the Battle of Bunker Hill alongside his mother and is later taken to Europe, where he is educated in the languages and customs of diplomacy. This unique upbringing prepares him for a distinguished career, but it also instills in him a sober, almost somber, maturity and a deep sense of responsibility.

Throughout the novel, John Quincy acts as a steadying force within the family. He is a dutiful son who respects his father’s intellect and a loving brother who attempts to protect his siblings, particularly Charles, from their father’s wrath and their own poor decisions. After returning from Russia, he becomes an essential source of comfort and assistance to his mother during her long years of managing the family’s affairs alone. His decision to take his brother Tommy with him on his own diplomatic mission to Russia shows a compassionate understanding of the slights his youngest brother has endured. While his political career is a source of immense pride for his parents, his long absences also represent a continuation of the family’s pattern of sacrifice, a painful echo of the life Abigail herself led.

Nabby is a key supporting character whose life is a tragic reflection of the limited choices available to women in her era. As a child, she is her mother’s quiet and dependable companion, who “[possesses] a prudence and steadiness beyond her years” (97) and is a source of stability amidst the chaos of war and domestic hardship. She matures from a reserved girl into a woman defined by her stoicism and unwavering loyalty. Nabby’s journey is one of quiet suffering and immense fortitude. She endures a painful, broken engagement to Royall Tyler, a brutal mastectomy performed without anesthesia, the death of an infant son, and the financial ruin and abandonment by her husband, Colonel Smith. Through each trial, she maintains a dignified, courageous composure that both impresses and worries her mother.

Consequently, Nabby’s character arc highlights the theme of Marriage as an Unequal Partnership, though in a different way than her mother’s. While Abigail fights for intellectual and financial equality, Nabby’s story illustrates the social and emotional precarity of women. Her happiness is entirely dependent on the character of the men in her life: first her father, whose long absence and disapproval dictate the course of her courtship, and then her husband, whose recklessness leads her to a life of hardship on the frontier. Despite her personal suffering, she remains a compassionate daughter and sister, caring for Abigail when she is sick and nursing her dying brother Charles. Later, she faces her own death surrounded by the family she has always cherished.

Charles Adams is a tragic supporting character whose life represents the most destructive personal cost of the Adams family’s public service. As a child, he is a beloved “cherub” (30), sweet-natured, and charming. However, the early and prolonged separation from his parents during his time in Europe, coupled with the immense pressure of the Adams name, leaves him emotionally vulnerable. Unlike his older brother, he lacks the stern self-discipline to navigate the temptations of the world.

Charles’s adult life is a slow, painful descent into alcohol addiction, gambling, and infidelity. His failures are a source of shame for him and a point of conflict between his parents. John renounces him, unable to forgive the disgrace Charles brings upon the family, while Abigail’s heart breaks for the boy she lost. She notes, “Liquor has made my handsome cherub into a ruin” (346). His premature death from alcohol addiction is the ultimate manifestation of The Toll of Public Service on Family, a tragedy born from years of parental absence and emotional neglect.

Thomas, or Tommy, is a supporting character who embodies the experience of the child left behind. Throughout his childhood and early adulthood, he is overshadowed by his more prominent siblings, particularly the brilliant John Quincy and the charming Charles. He is the only Adams son who never travels to Europe during the revolution, a fact that instills in him a lifelong feeling of being an afterthought. As an adult, he is “a plain, hardworking man” (334) and dutiful son who takes over the management of the family farm, yet he struggles with his own “blue devils” (413) of depression and a growing reliance on alcohol. His pained outburst about the abuse he witnessed at Reverend Shaw’s home reveals the hidden traumas he endured while his parents were away, adding another layer to the novel’s exploration of The Toll of Public Service on Family.

Mercy Otis Warren is a mentor and intellectual foil to Abigail. As a celebrated playwright and political satirist, she shows a rare model of female intellectualism in the 18th century, and Abigail admires her. Their correspondence provides Abigail with an essential outlet for her political thoughts and personal frustrations. However, their friendship is also strained by jealousy and differing philosophies on a woman’s role. Mercy advises Abigail to be more heroic in her sacrifices but ensures her own husband resigns his military post to remain home. This contrast highlights Abigail’s own endurance and fortitude. Later, Mrs. Warren’s historical account of the revolution, which slights John’s contributions, causes a rift, revealing the personal and political complexities of their long relationship.

Thomas Jefferson is a complex figure who evolves from a cherished family friend into John Adams’s primary political antagonist. Initially, he is presented as a charming, brilliant, and sympathetic Virginian, a fellow revolutionary who shares the Adamses’ intellectual passions. Abigail is drawn to his gallantry and their shared grief as parents who have lost children. However, as political factions harden, Jefferson’s radical democratic ideals and his unwavering support for the bloody French Revolution create an ideological chasm between him and the more moderate Adamses. His anonymous backing of newspaper attacks against John during his presidency is a personal betrayal that severs their friendship for many years. Furthermore, his role as an enslaver and his sexual relationship with Sally Hemings highlights the moral hypocrisy embedded in the founding of the United States. Ultimately, his character illustrates the political divisions that threatened to tear the new nation apart.

Phoebe, the enslaved woman who served Abigail’s family, is a second mother and a pragmatic confidante; her journey to freedom is a constant, personal reminder of the moral hypocrisy at the heart of the American fight for liberty. Multiple times, Abigail dubs Phoebe, “the only surviving parent I had” (327), for she possesses a wisdom that guides Abigail through difficultly. For instance, when John writes cold, scathing letters from Europe, Phoebe reminds her that “in marriage, [Abigail] belongs to him” (138), and that it would be wise to smooth things over. Despite her treatment in the world, Phoebe exudes a kindness to all, even strangers. So, when Phoebe dies, Abigail feels a shame and regret for not doing more to help the woman seek freedom sooner. Ultimately, Phoebe represents the complicated fabric of the United States, a nation founded on a fight for liberty, but only for some.