Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Overview... a single mother in pre-World War I Brooklyn. Okay, so technically Katie’s not a single mother yet, but between the alcohol and his devotion to music, Johnny is hardly a reliable father. As a result, it's left to Katie to raise their kids Francie and her younger brother Neeley (short for Cornelius) mostly on her own.
Personality... pragmatic, capable, and – yes, Francie – loving. Despite her frequent harshness, Katie deeply loves her children, and all her hard work is for the sake of helping them escape poverty. It might be a particularly tough brand of love, but it's still love.
Get to Know her in...
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In Brooklyn circa 1900, the Nolans manage to enjoy life on pennies despite great poverty and Papa's alcoholism. We come to know these people well through big and little troubles: Aunt Sissy's scandalous succession of "husbands"; the removal of the one tree visible from their tenement; and young Francie's desire to transfer to a better school—if irresponsible Papa can get his act together.
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From the moment she entered the world, Francie needed to be made of stern stuff, for the often harsh life of Williamsburg demanded fortitude, precocity, and strength of spirit. Often scorned by neighbors for her family's erratic and eccentric behavior—such as her father Johnny's taste for alcohol and Aunt Sissy's habit of marrying serially without the formality of divorce—no one, least of all Francie, could say that the Nolans' life lacked drama. By turns overwhelming, sublime, heartbreaking, and uplifting, the Nolans' daily experiences are tenderly threaded with family connectedness and raw with honesty.
