AL: Characters -- The Women

I find it interesting that the only person who really changes over the course of AL is Frank, and this change is not in a good way. The two major female leads think that they can interact with Frank and transform themselves through this interaction, but this does not become true. They both underestimate how much they determine their own fates, through their own actions, and not through what might be called a traditional female "supportive" role.

Eva, in particular, is a person who is stuck in a particular moment. It's as if achieving a personal "nirvana" means that's it, you'll not need to change anymore. Eva senses that she will fall behind the times soon, and thinks Frank is a 'divining rod' for the future, but Eva will see that 1.) he is not, and 2.) she still likes the self she has established so she couldn't get rid of her defining traits.

Evil Mrs. Partridge, (EMP) despite constantly hanging around artists, doesn't really like them. She hasn't seen one whom she doesn't think is either slow-witted or gullible, which are terms that arouse a lot of disgust in her. She realizes that Frank is neither of those and yet, she perceives his artistic temperment, and latches onto him in an effort to create a more sensitively attuned version of herself. She can't grasp that Frank may have a sensitive sense of perception, but this doesn't make him any more caring about others than she is.

Still more to come about these two.