Saint Maybe

Is there such thing as a perfect family? And if there is, then do they not have problems or are their problems just minor bumps in the road? If there is a family that is perfect the Bedloes believe that it is them. As said by Anne Tyler, "They believe that every part of their lives was absolutely wonderful. It wasn't just an act, either. They really did believe it" (Linton 1). However though, in the novel Saint Maybe, Anne Tyler argues that even "perfect families" have their shadows which need to be brought into light.

It is hard to see someone's shadow when it is in the middle of the day and the sun is shining straight down on you. As time goes on, people begin to get older, and the sun starts to shine on your back you begin to see your shadow, the shadow of non perfection. However when you just look on the good side as Mrs. Bedloe does "She prefers to look on the bright side" (Tyler 225), as said by Ian. It is always to feel like everything is perfect when you just look at the positive. When you grow up in an environment such as this one in the Bedloe family you stereotypically will be the same person as Ian. "He is a seventeen year old described as 'handsome and easy going, quick to make friends, fond of a good time'," overall he is a confident teenager who appears to have everything he needs and wants and is on the path of becoming a successful person. Ian has a loving middle class family, a supportive community, a girl friend, a pitcher on the baseball team, and a brother, Danny, who he could just talk to, and a strong conscience. The only thing he did not have which was not that crucial to the Bedloe household was a strong religious up bringing. Ian was the youngest child, with an older brother Danny, who works at the post office and marries Lucy, and an older sister, Claudia, who is married and names her children alphabetically. Both of the Bedloe parents are college educated and teachers or as they refer to themselves, educators. The Bedloes to the basic society definition can be defined as the "perfect family" with "perfect lives" and they have everything a family would want. But all families have shadows that are just waiting to be revealed.

The oldest son of the Bedloes, Danny, who works at the post office, finds the one, Lucy Dean. Lucy was trying to mail some packages to her ex-husband in Wyoming through Danny. Danny recommends the cheapest way to send the packages (which he is very proud of) and asks her out to dinner. He quickly becomes very fond of her even though the Bedloe parents do not, however they do not let this show. The primary reason that Mr. and Mrs. Bedloe are resistant of Lucy is because she was previously married and is the primary caretaker of two young children, which was a very rare occurrence in the 1960's. According to a study done by the University of Florida, only .92% parents were divorced in 1960 (Hoeskstra 1).

In the beginning of the novel all of the wonderful things Danny speaks of about Lucy appear to be true. Danny continues to rev and rave about Lucy and after a few short months they wed. Lucy continues to come across as a great person to the entire family, even though she has a dark background that is not being revealed to the Bedloe family or the reader. Lucy in the need of some time out of the house, she claims, begins to regularly hire Ian to baby sit. Ian though not to fond of the job, creates a connection with the young children, Agatha, Thomas, and Daphne. Over a period of time Lucy begins to ask Ian to baby sit more and more, even though Ian is very objective to this he continues to baby sit. When doing so he creates a theory that Lucy is cheating on his dear older brother. Because she continually comes home with expense looking items that Ian knows for a fact that they cannot afford. He buys into this theory so much that is all he thinks about when even hears the name Lucy. So when Lucy does her usual calling to Ian, asking him to baby sit, he starts to say no. Eventually on a Saturday night Lucy gets a hold of Bee Bedloe and asks her if she can have Ian baby sit for the night because her friend, Dot, had just called her at the last minute. Even though Ian heavily objects, "Baby-sit? I can't baby-sit! I've got a date" (Tyler 36). However Lucy claims there it will be fine, "Oh, well, that's no problem. Right now it's...Six- forty. I'll tell Dot I have to be in early" (Tyler 38). Ian though still frustrated about the situation but he knows that he does not have to be at Cicely's house until 8:30 and he is very trusting of Lucy's promise. However, Lucy buckles back on her promise and Danny arrives home before Lucy, and Ian is already 45 minutes late for Cicely's house. Because of this, Ian in frustration spills out to Danny what he thinks of Lucy while Danny is driving him home.

"I just want to know how long you intend to be a fall guy...She's out all afternoon any time she can get a sitter. She comes back perfumed and laughing and wearing clothes she can't afford. That white knot dress. Haven't you ever seen her white dress? Where'd she get it? How'd she pay for it? How come she married you quick as a flash and then had a baby just seven months later?" (Tyler 48).

Part of the shadow of the growing Bedloe family is being brought to light at least to a couple of people. However when the light of god moves to reveal part of a shadow it hides another. This is the shadow or burden that Ian must live with for the rest of his life! Immediately after Ian just spilled his true feelings to his brother and he is dropped off at home, his brother, Danny, commits suicide by driving his Chevrolet into a wall, this is the true Burden.

Everyone feels the repercussions of Danny's suicide from Ian to Agatha, the daughter of Lucy. First of all Ian has to live the rest of his life knowing that he is the reason that his brother lost his life because he told his brother his opinion on his wife. As well as he will eventually have to drop out of college and raise his brother's children, which Ian acknowledges "It's wasting my life" (Tyler 234). Also it turns Ian from an easy going teen to a responsible man that Mr. Bedloe refers to as "So serious and he just never goofed of" (Tyler p.178). Ian feeling the most guilt out of the situation unquestionably goes through the most changes as a person. Ian is the not the only person however that feels major impact. Lucy, now a widow, goes into a complete depression, leaving her young children to take care of her new born and themselves during the day, while she sleeps endlessly with the help of her sleeping pills. Lucy is trying to hide her shadows of sorrow and misdoings in the darkness, while she does exactly what her