The “Housekeeping” Novel by Marilynne Robinson

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Table of Contents

Introduction
The Name of the Novel Housekeeping
Grandmother Sylvia
Sylvie, Lily and Nona
Conclusion
Work Cited

Introduction

People have a significant number of daily responsibilities to perform. The routine often manifests not only the character of the person but their attitude to the world and life. This essay will examine the book Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson, demonstrating how different attitudes to simple everyday activities can reveal a person’s worldview. The book’s main characters are a family that has lived in the same house for several generations. Grandmother Sylvia, who lived in the house all her life, her daughter Sylvie, and Lily, and Nona, younger women. Despite the routine of Housekeeping, this process reflects the characters of the novel’s protagonists and demonstrates the differences between generations.

The Name of the Novel Housekeeping

Throughout the novel, house cleaning is the primary action that connects all the characters. The author, Marilynne Robinson, uses this technique to reveal the character traits of each novel’s protagonist and highlights that there may be significant differences in worldviews, including among relatives. Therefore, housekeeping is the book’s title because it refers to maintaining and organizing a household, which is a central theme throughout the story (Robinson 10). The novel explores different perspectives on the concept of housekeeping and how it can shape a person’s identity and relationships. Therefore, the novel is called Housekeeping because the author wanted to emphasize the importance of this action and its role in conveying the novel’s main idea. The following paragraph will discuss the features of character expression through the main heroine’s novel Housekeeping, Sylvia.

Grandmother Sylvia

Grandmother Sylvia has a traditional, old-fashioned notion of housekeeping, where cleanliness and order are of utmost importance. Moreover, she claims it is a woman’s duty to keep a well-run home (Robinson 11). Sylvia is willing to spend a significant amount of her life at housekeeping. She also believes that cleaning is a helpful activity, as it not only makes the house clean and tidy but contributes to the organization and productivity of the person. However, this approach is alien to other characters in the novel. Her daughter, Sylvie, is convinced that cleaning is necessary, but more important is the family. On the other hand, Lily and Nona consider housekeeping tedious and not worth spending much time on.

Sylvie, Lily and Nona

Sylvie, the story’s protagonist, has a more eclectic and unconventional approach to housekeeping. She values freedom and unpredictability and sees housekeeping as an opportunity to bring creativity and playfulness into her daily life. As Robinson states, “thus finely did our house become attuned to the orchard and the particularities of weather, even in the first days of Sylvie’s housekeeping” (126). This fact confirms the peculiarities of Sylvie, which manifests itself through its relationship to the environment in the context of housekeeping. During cleaning and other housekeeping activities, she tries to give ordinary things of importance. According to Robinson, “she undertook the most ordinary things with an arch, tense, tentative good will that made them seem difficult and remarkable” (128). It confirms the intention of Sylvie to make the home a comfortable place where the family can feel safe. On the other hand, Lily and Nona view housekeeping as a burden and would rather spend their time pursuing other interests. As Robinson states, “Lily and Nona, I think, enjoyed nothing except habit and familiarity” (27). This fact emphasizes the different traits of the family members.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the novel Housekeeping explores the differing views and attitudes towards housekeeping, showing how it can impact a person’s identity and relationships. Through this process, the author introduces the reader to different features of characters of novella protagonists and emphasizes how in a simple example, people’s outlook on life may differ even if they are members of the same family.

Work Cited

Robinson, Marilynne (1980). Housekeeping. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

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The “Housekeeping” Novel by Marilynne Robinson

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