Fragile Sanctuary

As the protagonist of Fragile Sanctuary, Rhodes Stirling is a round and dynamic character whose journey of healing provides the novel’s central emotional arc. Her defining trait is resilience, which allows her to cultivate joy in the face of trauma. Fourteen years after surviving the fire that killed her parents and younger sister, Rhodes decides to move back to her family’s property and restore the half-burned Victorian house. This act symbolizes her readiness to engage with her past rather than suppress it, a core element of the theme Confronting the Traumas of the Past. Her profession at the Bloom & Berry Nursery and her passion for gardening connect her to the memory of her mother and symbolize her role in nurturing life amidst decay. She envisions her property filled with an “explosion of color” (30), a desire that contrasts with Anson Hunt’s self-imposed world of gray: Her love of color reflects her determination to embrace life’s vibrancy despite her sorrow, while Anson’s aversion to color symbolizes his closed-off emotions.

Beneath her capable and optimistic exterior, Rhodes contends with deep-seated vulnerability stemming from her unresolved grief and survivor’s guilt. This internal conflict manifests in panic attacks, particularly when confronted with direct reminders of the fire, such as the charred photograph left on her porch.