The Identicals

As a protagonist, Harper Frost is a dynamic and round character whose identity is intrinsically linked to Martha’s Vineyard and her father, Billy. Positioned as the rebellious, laid-back twin in opposition to her sister, Tabitha, this persona conceals deep-seated feelings of hurt, loss, and rejection that fuel her insecurities and self-destructive tendencies. Her reputation on the island, marred by the “Joey Bowen catastrophe” (26) and her subsequent affair with Reed, illustrates The Struggle to Escape the Past in a Small-Town Community. Her choices, particularly her romantic entanglements, reveal a pattern of seeking validation from unavailable men, a trait rooted in the emotional fallout from her parents’ divorce and her estrangement from her mother and sister.

Harper’s defining characteristic is her profound loyalty to her father. She serves as his primary caretaker during his final months, and his death forces her out of a state of arrested development. Before Billy dies, her life is a cycle of working a dead-end job at Rooster Express, visiting her father, and carrying on a clandestine affair. His passing leaves her with a “heavy mantle of grief” (14) but also liberates her from the holding pattern her life has become.