51 pages • 1 hour read
The Caretaker: A Novel
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Character Analysis
Blackburn Gant
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, child death, death by suicide, mental illness, and ableism.
The novel’s eponymous caretaker, Blackburn, is a quiet, reserved, and solitary person. These traits are largely the result of his having contracted polio as a child, which left him with a disability that causes him to limp and partial paralysis in the muscles of his face. These physical conditions have caused people to perceive Blackburn as an “other” and as less than them. He suffered cruelty as a child and thus withdrew from the world, preferring the solitude and isolation of the cemetery as he took on the caretaking job. Blackburn is dedicated to his work, paying meticulous and loving attention to the details that result in a well-kept and lovely cemetery. He performs these tasks out of a deep respect for the deceased who rest there and their mourners, recognizing the important role he plays in the grieving process. Despite his kindness, Blackburn is alone in the world, save for the friendship of Jacob Hampton. The “blood brother” bond that the two made as children has come to define Blackburn’s commitment to Jacob, as he is grateful for the way Jacob is able to see beyond Blackburn’s physical appearance in a way that other people refuse to do.
It is Blackburn’s commitment to Jacob that causes him to promise to care for Naomi in Jacob’s absence. Blackburn’s actions are sacrificial ones, as his own public reputation suffers as a result of his associations with her. Yet Blackburn comes to recognize Naomi’s many positive qualities, and were it not for his loyalty to his best friend, he would likely fall in love with Naomi himself. Blackburn wisely knows, however, that because he is positioned at the bottom of Blowing Rock’s social pecking order, he has little choice but to comply with the Hamptons’ wishes—though he repeatedly tries to defend Naomi to them, he is powerless to convince them that she is a kind person deserving of respect. Far from naïve to the Hamptons’ motives, it is Blackburn who ultimately uncovers their lies. Bravely, he exposes them in a manner so as to protect not only himself but also Jacob and Naomi. Likewise, his moral fiber is shown to be genuine when he refuses Mr. Clarke’s suggestion that he maintain the lie of Jacob’s death and marry Naomi himself. Sacrificing for Jacob shows Blackburn’s selflessness, and, in the end, his wise and admirable actions are rewarded when he obtains a farming job—and a parcel of land—from Mr. Clarke.
Jacob Hampton
Jacob, one of the protagonists, is defined by his love for and dedication to his wife, Naomi Clarke. His actions throughout the novel are motivated by his desire to carve out a secure and prosperous life for her. In marrying her, he consciously violated his parents’ wishes in a manner that showed his independence and fortitude—determined to make his own way in the world, Jacob’s refusal to be swayed by their threat to disinherit him shows that he values love and commitment over material wealth or status. When his refusal to attend college brought about conscription, Jacob faced his circumstances with bravery and grace. The horrors that he experiences during wartime—causing an enemy solider to die by drowning—haunt him; he suffers from PTSD when he is discharged, which he faces quietly, guarded and private. His suffering is compounded by the grief he experiences in light of Naomi’s supposed death. This grief is proof that his love for her is genuine. Jacob must also struggle through his troubled relationship with his parents. Angry that they do not share in his grief over the loss of Naomi, he turns to Blackburn as a source of comfort. Yet, as his father helps him through the nightmares induced by his PTSD, Jacob understands that his parents do indeed operate out of love for him. In time, his inner strength prevails, and he is able to live life once again—taking on the operation of his parents’ store.
In the end, however, Jacob is forced to choose between maintaining a relationship with his parents and pursuing a life with Naomi and their child. His choice indicates that he seeks out that which provides him with the most meaning and fulfillment.
Naomi Clarke Hampton
Naomi, the young wife of Jacob, plays an important role in the novel’s conflict. The daughter of a struggling farmer, she has no formal education and has lived a life of poverty. However, Naomi is not discouraged by these factors. She has set about teaching herself by obtaining textbooks via a local library and grows determined to obtain a GED. Ambitious and hard-working, she acquired a position at a hotel to improve her life’s status. Her interest in movies and simple treats like fountain sodas indicate her appreciation for life’s small pleasures, and she takes nothing for granted. Though she has daydreamed about luxury relative to her present life, Naomi is not materialistic: It was not Jacob’s wealth that motivated her to marry him, and when he was disinherited, she was undeterred. Loving, warm, and kind, she is completely devoted to Jacob, harboring a mature and selfless love for him. Her dedication to him spills over to their child, as she is determined to act in the best interest of the girl, wanting to carve out a life of opportunity for her in a way that Naomi herself was denied.
Naomi chafes at the class prejudice directed at her by others in the town—especially Jacob’s parents. Many people in Blowing Rock assume that she must be an immoral person because she does not observe the same social etiquette that they do. That she married at a young age furthers this perception. Her choice to wear heavy makeup and a dress that showed off her pregnancy when visiting the Hamptons’ store was an act of defiance against the shame that they and other townspeople expect her to feel. She later regrets this act, admitting to herself that it had no positive end, but in the moment, it was a means to assert her autonomy in the midst of classism and misogyny. Similarly, though she knows that visiting Jacob’s grave could be dangerous—given the vitriol that the Hamptons have shown the Clarkes—she travels there anyway, determined to enact her devotion to him. After the fact, she recognizes that this could indeed have proved harmful for her child and holds some regrets—evidence that she is slowly maturing from a young, carefree girl into a wise mother.
Daniel and Cora Hampton
Jacob’s parents are proud and hardworking people who have built two successful businesses thanks to their dedication and foresight. These businesses helped them thrive during the 1930s economic depression. They are respected throughout the town of Blowing Rock because of the way they assisted others who were less fortunate during that period, whether through providing them with store credit or hiring them for a job at their sawmill. In this way, they are viewed by their peers as selfless and community minded.
Both of the Hamptons, however, spend much of their lives stricken with grief over the death of two of their three children. These deaths cause them to cherish their remaining child, Jacob, with a ferocity that he regards as controlling and stifling. Further, though they pay lip service to the values of acceptance and inclusivity, their disapproval of Jacob’s decision to marry Naomi indicates class prejudice. Outward social appearances are important to the Hamptons, and they find it impossible to believe that Jacob could truly love someone beneath his economic station. When the opportunity to end the marriage by lying to Naomi, her family, Jacob, Jacob’s best friend, and the town of Blowing Rock as a whole arises, the Hamptons feel justified in this deception, telling themselves that they are only doing what is necessary to protect their son. Blinded by their certainty that their deception will ultimately prove beneficial to Jacob, they have no qualms about threatening or manipulating others who stand in their way. The novel’s ending, in which the Hamptons are led to believe by Blackburn that Jacob has died by suicide, is framed as them receiving their just desserts—payback for the harm that their deception has brought to others.
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