Anastasia Krupnik

Anastasia’s father is a flat, secondary character, who acts as a mentor figure on her identity journey. Anastasia’s father is a poet and professor, and he is the inspiration for Anastasia’s own creative endeavors. Through the poetry incident in Chapter 1, Lowry shows the importance of family support to how Anastasia forms her identity. When Anastasia brings her failing grade on her poem to her father, he does not chastise her for doing poorly on the assignment. Instead, he realizes that an appreciation for poetry is a subjective experience. Where Mrs. Westvessel disliked the poem because it did not conform to her standards, Anastasia’s father thinks the poem is lovely because his advanced study of poetry has allowed him to understand the form in a way Mrs. Westvessel does not. By doing so, Anastasia’s father represents the idea that there is no right or wrong opinion about art. He also supports the theme of the difficulty of forming an identity by showing Anastasia that it is all right to find her own way, even when others want her to conform.

Anastasia’s mother is a flat, secondary character, who catalyzes Anastasia’s emotional journey. She is a mentor and a traditional maternal figure. As an artist, Anastasia’s mother is portrayed as in-touch with her feelings because they are the inspiration for her creativity. This is shown through her past experiences with love, particularly her story about the lawyer in Chapter 8. Anastasia’s mother recognized the disparities in that relationship, and she impresses upon Anastasia the importance of listening to her emotions. Anastasia uses this knowledge to deal with her feelings about the people and situations in her life, showing that Anastasia’s positive relationship with her mother allows her to learn. 

Anastasia’s mother also represents the antagonistic force of change in Anastasia’s life with the announcement of her pregnancy. Anastasia is angry that her mother didn’t discuss her plans to have a baby beforehand; it makes her feel like she’s not an important family member. Throughout the book, Anastasia’s mother provides opportunities for coping with complex emotions.

Throughout the novel, Anastasia grapples with how to feel about her grandmother, making the woman a catalyst for coping with complex emotions. Anastasia’s grandmother exhibits symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, including difficulty remembering current events and a fixation on the past. She forgets Anastasia’s name and even that Anastasia is her granddaughter, which triggers Anastasia’s fear, sadness, and frustration. Anastasia already feels insecure about her lack of a fixed identity, and the idea that an adult family member would forget who she is makes her feel even more confused and isolated. 

The death of Anastasia’s grandmother is an emotional turning point for Anastasia that brings clarity to her earlier experiences. It helps Anastasia understand the importance of memory and how memory contributes to who Anastasia has become, making her grandmother a symbol of the difficulty of forming an identity. Anastasia’s relationship with her grandmother provides another opportunity for her to learn that other people don’t define her since their perspectives aren’t always reliable.

Mrs. Westvessel is Anastasia’s teacher and a minor, flat character. Like Anastasia’s grandmother, Mrs. Westvessel becomes a catalyst for Anastasia’s growth. At first glance, it seems as though Mrs. Westvessel changes from a mean teacher who gave Anastasia a failing grade to a kind teacher who called to offer condolences. However, these two aspects of Mrs. Westvessel are two sides of the same trait—the strictness and care that make her good at her job. Anastasia’s reaction to Mrs. Westvessel is what changes. After learning how to better deal with her emotions, Anastasia can put her experiences with Mrs. Westvessel in perspective. In addition, since Anastasia used to associate Mrs. Westvessel with her grandmother, Anastasia’s dislike was rooted in her own fear about her grandmother’s death. Thus, when Anastasia overcomes her fears about her grandmother, she also lets go of the associated feelings toward Mrs. Westvessel.