Buckeye

Margaret and Cal’s kiss is the novel’s inciting incident: It sets into motion a series of events that will define their families for generations to come. The kiss symbolizes the wide-ranging effect that secrets have on family relationships, developing the theme of The Impact of Secrets on Marriage and Family. As a multigenerational saga, the world of the family takes center stage in Buckeye. Although Ryan explores the way that historical events shape individuals and their communities, he does so through his depiction of two families. Margaret and Cal are initially brought together by the thrilling news of Hitler’s surrender. They are also both, at the time of the kiss, in the early days of marriages that are not living up to their promises.

Cal still feels guilty and ashamed of his inability to fight in the war, and he wonders how to define himself in a generation of men defined by their military service. He struggles with Becky because he disapproves of her séances and feels further stigmatized by the negative attention she draws to their young family. Margaret also struggles: She is unhappy in small-town Bonhomie after the liberating excitement of life in Columbus. She is also dissatisfied with Felix because sexual connection matters to her, and she does not understand the lack of connection in her marriage.