Traits That Define a Leader Stunning: Strength

Traits That Define a Leader

Stunning: Strength in Patchett's Works

Upon initial examination, the worlds and lives inhabited by Roxanne Coss, a glamorous opera singer who finds herself trapped by terrorists in Latin America for month on end in Bel Canto, and by Rose, who abruptly moves to a remote location in Kentucky to give birth to a daughter at a home for unwed mothers in The Patron Saint of Liars, appear to be decidedly different. However, due in no small part to the fact that each of these works of literature is authored by Ann Patchett, there is an abundance of similarities between the constitution and the manifestation of fortitude that both of these women summon in situations that unquestioningly call for their respective assertion. The common theme in each book is that the female protagonist in both tales draws upon reserves of strength to allow her to surmount what could be decidedly disadvantageous circumstances, in order to exert a degree of control and autonomy in her own existence -- despite her imposing, exterior surroundings.

In Bel Canto, Coss' strong stance and quick-witted comments help her to independently sustain herself while being held hostage during a terrorist attack. Trapped in a situation in which no one would want to be, least of all a glamorous celebrity figure, it would have been easy for Coss to submit as a demure shadow of a person -- particularly when the reader pauses to consider the fact that all the other women held hostage in the novel were let go due to the fact that they were women. The following quotation, however, testifies to Coss' strength in ways which may not seem to be readily apparent upon initial examination.

But it never seemed to touch Mr. Hosokawa, or he managed not to show it. And when she stood near him she somehow did not feel the panic herself, though she couldn't explain it. Near him, it felt like she was stepping out on a harsh light and into someplace quiet and dark, like she was wrapping herself up in the heavy velvet of the stage where no one could see her (Bel Canto123).

This quotation is significant for a number of reasons. It is demonstrative of the degree of fortitude which Coss is able to summon in the face of the adversity of being held hostage, by indicating that when Coss is with Hosokaw, she does not panic. Furthermore, it is also indicative of one of the truest forms of strength, which lies in the ability not to just exist but to actually thrive, and to assert one's will to live. This quotation alludes to the romance that Coss will have with Hosokawa, which will culminate in their marriage in the book's epilogue. The fact that Coss is placed in a dangerous situation that she will actually gain from and use to her benefit is a testament to this woman's strength of character.

In The Patron Saint of Liars, Rose's confident attitude and her willpower to leave her past behind help her to not only become more self-reliant, but to get through her pregnancy as well. Virtually any woman would be daunted at the prospect of giving birth alone, without the financial, emotional, or mental support of a man. However, this notion is inverted by Rose's particular predicament, especially when one considers that she willingly placed herself in this situation. She had a husband in southern California. She was able to summon the self-assertion to leave him and make a life on her own more befitting to her own conception of happiness -- which is how she both asserts and learns about her own strength, as the following quotation underscores. "I did not know my own body. I thought of all those years I hadn't known my mind, didn't come close to understanding what I wanted, but my body was completely my own" (The Patron 77). The author's usage of the term "body" is highly significant in this quotation. Pachett is using Rose's physical strength (symbolized by her body) to denote her mental bravery, courage, and self exertion that allowed her to liberate herself from a situation of unhappiness in order to find happiness. So while this quotation is indicative of the fortitude of Rose's body, it is really her mind and her will which is the source of her power. Significantly, it should be added that much like Coss, Rose is actually able to profit from her situation, by remarrying and finding gainful employment at St. Elizabeth's home for unwed mothers. In doing so, she is able to bring herself closer to the state of felicity that she was lacking in California, which is further testament to her strength of character.

One of the most demonstrative aspect of Coss's personal strength can be found within her singing. There is a degree of irony in this fact, which Patchett herself more than likely intended the reader to discern. It is specifically for her prowess as an opera singer that Coss is the sole female hostage. Yet it is that same ability to sing, and move people to heightened states of emotion, that is the ultimate source of the singer's strength, which the following quotation largely implies.

Their eyes clouded over with tears for so many reasons it would be impossible to list them all. They cried for the beauty of the music, certainly, but also for the failure of their plans... All of the love and the longing a body can contain was spun into not more than two and a half minutes of song, and when she came to the highest notes it seemed that all they had been given in their lives and all they had lost came together and made a weight that was almost impossible to bear. When she was finished, the people around her stood in stunned and shivering silence (Bel Canto 152).