Classics Corner: We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates; Superb Novel About Family Ties That Violently Break Apart

Classics Corner: We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates; Superb Novel About Family Ties That Violently Break

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews


Spoilers: If you live in a rural community, you probably know a family like the Mulvaneys.

They were a family that seemed large in number and seemed to know everybody. They were the center of community life. The parents were part of many organizations, maybe on the school board, served on every committee, and maybe had a place or two named for them. The children seemed to be involved in every activity in school, won every prize, were the most popular kids, and were academic and/or athletic all stars. You might have befriended them. You might have envied them. You might have been sick of hearing about them. But one thing was for certain, you couldn't imagine that rural community without them.




That is the type of family described in Joyce Carol Oates’s amazing novel, We Were The Mulvaneys. Oates peers into the private life of a family that appears large, happy, and involved, then reveals how they violently and tragically fall apart.


The Mulvaneys consist of Michael (AKA Curly), a roofer and small business owner, Corrine (AKA Whistle), his antique collecting wife, and their four children. The children are Mike Jr. (AKA Mule, Jr.,or Four), football champ and devoted big brother, Patrick (AKA Pinch), the science genius and introvert, Marianne (AKA Chickadee), the sweet and devout cheerleader and social butterfly, and Judd (AKA Baby, Dimple, Ranger), the youngest and most curious and awkward member of the family.

The Mulvaneys appear to be a very close family. They are actively involved in their community with Michael's country club membership, Corrine's church affiliation, and the kid's extracurricular activities. They care deeply for their animals and love their pets. There is always something going on, because the kids invite friends over and the house gets loud, crowded, and fun.

The Mulvaneys share family jokes such as their nicknames for each other or interpreting their pet's speeches. They tell stories, like Corrine's encounter with fireflies in December, with the kids usually making the same comments throughout. There are harmless teasing and personality clashes, but mostly this is a family that is very close, very loving, and generally very happy.

Until Valentine's Day, 1976. That night, Marianne is raped by the son of a family friend. As the Mulvaneys deal with the consequences of the rape, they also have to confront the judgement of a small town that once befriended and admired the family and now turn them into pariahs.

The Mulvaney family implodes as Michael turns to alcohol, rage, and various litigation suits to cope with the trauma. Corrine and the children also deal with the aftermath of the rape in their own ways causing the family to fracture even further.

This is a book that is filled with rich relatable characters, particularly in a family dynamic. There are many little details that those in a big family would recognize. When Corrine retells her kids the story about the fireflies, the kids groan and repeat the same lines about the fireflies (Ever scientifically accurate, Patrick always points out that fireflies couldn't appear in winter) but they always listen. One of the most touching moments is in the final chapter, after all the conflict has passed, the Mulvaneys are at a family reunion and the now adult children prompt Mom to begin the firefly story. Of course, Mom tells it and of course the kids groan and go into the same comments. This plays into the idea of inside jokes and memories that close family members share. Even the comments are repeated because they convey familiarity and comfort.

Another thing that repeats often is the family's devotion to their animals. Earlier, Judd says that his father, Michael insisted that the head of the family is their cat, Snowball, then Corrine, and he doesn't want to go farther down the line because it's too humiliating. Coming from a family that still mourns our beloved tortoiseshell calico, our queen, Houdini, gone these past ten years but not forgotten (though we insist that she is now sitting on God's shoulder running the Rainbow Bridge), I definitely understand.

The family's love for their pets is felt with the kids. Many of them have a signature horse, dog, or cat that they walk, take care of, ride, and regret saying goodbye to when they move out. However, when Marianne leaves home shortly after her rape, she brings her favorite cat, Muffin, with her so they can live with her mother's cousin and away from the shame. Marianne moves three more times throughout the course of the novel and each time brings her cat with her.

That's what makes this book so special. These details help the Reader sympathize with this family and sees them in happier nostalgic days, before reality hits, rape occurs, and they fall apart. We like and know these characters. Then we are horrified and pity them.

The family counts their lives before and after the rape, to the point that Marianne's rape becomes the turning point of the entire novel. It's hard to believe that the family who are isolated from town judgement and gossip, engage in violent arguments, and try to get as far away from each other as soon as possibleare the same family that was once so close and loving. You hate the rapist even more for hurting Marianne and destroying her family.

How the family deals with the rape and the aftermath says a lot about them as individuals as well as their placement in the family structure. Michael was once a proud community leader and a strong family head. He despairs because he feels like he failed in protecting Marianne. Alcoholism separates him from his family and his rages and lawsuits separates him from the community that he was once so proud to be a member of. He is arrested for striking Marianne's rapist and his father. He is stifled from caring for his family and feels impotent. The more impotent he feels, the more he retreats into perpetual drunkenness. He is in despair but feels helpless as they have to sell animals, Corrine's antiques, properties, the roofing business, and eventually their farm.

While Michael finds comfort in drink, Corrine finds comfort in passive religion. She was once a warm hearted woman who was devoted to her family and her live for God. She was a regular church attendee and was the type to share her Christian faith with anyone who asks (and even to some who don't ask.).

Since her family troubles, Corrine accepts her husband's transformation and her children's departures with resignation. She still clings to her God, but not for the joyful spiritual love she had before. Instead, she draws into religion as her only comfort and sanctuary in what is becoming a more violent and uncertain world.


The children are also deeply affected. Mike receives the least amount of attention, but he is someone who wants to go on with life. He is humiliated by Michael's behavior and constantly fights with his father. The father and son no longer can work cooperatively. When Michael loses the roofing business, Mike finds no need to stick around and enlists in the Marines, as if trying to move on from the trauma.

Patrick, the intellectual and introvert, retreats into his studies and his own thoughts. He goes to college to study biology, something that can be quantified, tested, and solutions can be found instead of unanswered. Patrick is also the one filled with the most rage though he hides it behind his cold intellectualism. He subtly searches for Marianne's rapist and in one tense moment confronts him with all the hurt that the family goes through.

Marianne is extremely traumatized by her rape. She was just as religious as her mother and was known around town as a good girl. After her rape, she has imaginary conversations with God wondering why this happened to her. She is shattered by the effects the assault had on her family and guilt stricken by believing that it was her fault. She moves out shortly after her rape out of guilt and sorrow.

While Patrick's journey was one of the mind, Marianne's is one of the spirit. She tries to find a spiritual center and purpose in life beyond her encounter. Marianne (and Muffin) goes to college, drops out, and then moves to a religious co-op. At the co-op, she is able to prepare food and work with others feeling accepted and useful. She believes that working at the Co-op provides herself with salvation.

However, the trauma still remains with Marianne. When the head of the Co-op confesses that he is attracted to her, Marianne is terrified and realizes that it's time to move on.

Jud has to suffer from the pains of being the baby of the family. He was too young to remember the majority of the good times. He only hears about them through family stories that he hears so often that he thinks he remembers them. He is a pre-teen when his sister is raped, so his main memories center on the dismal family afterwards, not the loving one before. As the first person narrator of the story, he chronicles their memories and stories as an observer not a participant. He can only gain access to the happy times from second hand information, not from his own recollections.

Because he is so young, Jud is filled with questions about who they were, how could anyone have attacked his sweet big sister, and why did they end up the way they did. In an early chapter, Jud sees a deer in front of the house and watches as it disappears into the forests. He thinks of Marianne like that deer: fragile, vulnerable, unprotected, and runs away to seek security.

Jud also has to come clean about his involvement with catching Marianne's rapist. He is there when Patrick makes the plan and follows him when Patrick confronts Marianne's attacker. Even though Jud is appalled that the rapist is free, he also realizes that he assisted his brother in committing a felony. His novel is also a way of coming clean over his actions while trying to understand the rest of the Mulvaneys.

The last chapter gives hope to the Mulvaneys as the children grow, find partners, and have children. Even their mother has found a close friend and has returned to collecting antiques. The family reunites again. While the years have worn them away and the trauma is still there, they are still a loving family. They can never go back to the way they are, but they can still be happy and together, even if they are now different.