Chapter 5: Callanwolde

In Chapter 5, Henry goes to fight in the Korean War, so Lila and her children go to Atlanta to stay with Henry’s parents.  Before Henry leaves, the family has a picnic on Stone Mountain, and we see an example of Henry abusing them.  Everyone is happy for him to leave, and they feel free when they’re in Atlanta.  However, their freedom is threatened when a mysterious and scary man, who they call Callanwolde, starts coming to their house.

We found the story of Callanwolde absolutely terrifying.  Both the description of Callanwolde and the description of the family’s fear contributed to the horror.  Callanwolde’s behavior is disgusting and disturbing, and Conroy presents it straightforwardly, without any fluff.  The writing in this section is powerful, and although we cannot relate to the Wingos’ situation, we can empathize with the family for their fear.

The Callanwolde occurrence has a powerful effect on the children.  Before the strange man appears, “Callanwolde” has a completely different meaning.  It refers to the forest where the children play and symbolizes magical, fantastic adventures.  However, after the man becomes a chronic problem, the name “Callanwolde” comes to refer to him.  Its pleasant meaning is corrupted, and the children use it to label all bad or evil situations.

            “The word Callanwolde changed meaning for us, and, following Savannah’s example, we began to refer to the man as Callanwolde... When Sister Immaculata described the terrors of hell in her sweet voice, she was explaining the boundaries and perimeters of Callanwolde to me and Savannah...  It was a specific person, a specific place, and a general condition of a world suddenly fearful and a fate uncontrollable.” (132)

One of the major problems that Tom and his siblings have throughout their childhood is that things like the meaning of “Callanwolde” change drastically for them.  Before the Callanwolde occurrence, they pray for their father to die in Korea, but afterwards, they anxiously await his return, as he is the only one who can save them.  We have noticed multiple examples of things changing rapidly for them and believe that that has contributed to their confusion and suffering.

Callanwolde is an extreme example of the evil side of men.  His barbaric behavior and physicality contribute to the power of his character as a symbol in the novel.  He rarely speaks when he comes to the house; the only things he ever says are terse threats like “I’ll be back” and “I want you.”  It is as though he does not have a mind but only embodies creepiness and evil.  His appearance, particularly the fact that he is nearly seven feet tall, demonstrates his masculinity.  His advances towards Lila and his exposed genitals show his lack of civility and his evil sexual power.

Each family member’s reaction to Callanwolde is important to his/her characterization.

Luke reacts physically to Callanwolde and tries to fight him off, ignoring the fact that he is a seven-year-old boy against a seven-foot-tall man.  He always has the most active response to Callanwolde’s visits.  He seems to assume the role of man of the house when his mother and siblings are threatened.

Lila is the target of Callanwolde’s attention, although the man is a threat to the entire family.  Lila is scared for herself as well as for her children.  She sleeps during the day and walks through the house checking the locks at night.  Her response demonstrates her powerlessness around men but also shows her concern for her children.  The Callanwolde case also reveals more about her relationship with Henry: She is intimidated by her husband and specifically asks the children not to tell him about Callanwolde because she fears he will judge her.  Henry had told her many time that “no woman was raped who had not asked for it.” (137)

Savannah clearly has a problem with men, and this incident is the first manifestation of that.  Her father has beaten her before, but his event is the first time that a threat has come from outside of her family or has been sexual in nature.  Her problems with her father were discipline-based, but the Callanwolde incident shows the evil power of a man whose goal seems to be nothing but enjoyment.  Her reaction to Callanwolde indicates that her problem with men is sexually based.

Tom has the most emotional response to Callanwolde.  He is more terrified than any of the others—he is literally paralyzed with fear and doesn’t speak for days after Callanwolde comes for the second time.  Like Savannah, Tom has never before experienced any type of attack from a man, and this event is the first time he realizes the maliciousness of those of his own gender.  As an adult, he becomes particularly passionate about acknowledging true male identity.