Main Character and Character

¶ … Royal Beatings," by Alice Munro, displays an interesting relationship between the main character, Rose, and her stepmother, Flo. The depiction of Flo is one in the middle of the two stereotypical extremes one might expect, either the overly-sweet stepmother or the evil stepmother. Flo's character lies somewhere in between; she is both a good mother and a bad mother. Rose, on the other hand, possesses the stereotypical character of the melodramatic young child, who is not afraid of royal beatings, but rather curious about them (Munro 96), and who sees her father's personality as a stage act when he beats her (109), and therefore retaliates with "self-indulgence" (110).

The relationship between the two is never one of apathy, but always characterized by either closeness or a struggle for superiority. It is obvious from Rose's musings about Flo's past life that they spend time close enough that they relay personal information. For example, Rose knows that before Flo married Rose's father, she used to be a waitress in a coffee shop in Union Station (103), and that before then she spent time with Barbara Allen and Becky Tyde's father (104). Even the "Back Soon" sign that hangs on the front door of the grocery store, made for Flo by Rose, is an indication of a close, friendly relationship (109).

The closeness these two share, however, is only one half of the relationship dynamic. Despite the sharing of stories and gifts, they also share a sort of challenging rivalry. Flo is prude in nature, "she despised dirty talk" (105) and held a contempt for such ostentatious habits as "trying to be in style" with lipstick, clothes, and permanents (103). Rose, on the other hand, makes mountains out of mole-hills and over-exaggerates problems when there "is not really much the matter" (111). Because these two strong personalities are forced to abide under the same roof, they often come into conflict with one another. Neither female displays any respect for the other's personality, and despite their times (though infrequent) of tranquility, they often goad each other into a fight. Theirs is a wrangle that "has been going on forever" (105), something they "can't help continuing" (106), and one in which they simply wait and build up steam (106). In the end, after the royal beatings administered by father, both fall into a valley of regret, Rose finally realizing the punishment which inevitably and violently comes, and Flo regretting the magnitude of punishment that befalls Rose.

The nature of the relationship between these two characters suggests the author's opinion is that life is far from simple, but rather complex instead. While Flo and Rose maintain a fairly predictable relationship, it is not a healthy one, and it seems to be one that is not easily set to rights. Each personality is strong and stubborn, and each seems to live off of tormenting, testing, and teasing the other. And yet, despite the frequency of fights and disagreements, they are still able to maintain some semblance of a normal mother-daughter relationship on the side, as they share in each other's lives.