Long Live Olive

When will it end? Death, old age, sickness, defraying relationships. Just a small list of Olive Kitteridge's many dismal themes. I do recall various heartwarming moments throughout Elizabeth Strout's complex narrative, but most of the time I nervously turned the page anticipating nothing short of an emotional disaster. However, after the many moments of overwhelming despondence, I'm glad to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the novel's ending. After all, the 2008 story received the Pulitzer Prize for a reason. After thirteen short stories featuring conflicted characters and desperate situations, the last few passages allowed me to relax and turn the last page with a smile. Olive Kitteridge, the hopelessly cynical protagonist, ultimately finds the silver lining of life. Better to do so seventy-two years into your life than never. However, for these past seventy-two years, Olive has constantly suffered from a battle within. Naturally pessimistic and critical towards others, she always finds the most miniscule flaws. More often than not, Olive musters up enough gumption to speak her mind. Her blunt personality creates a confident facade, but her actual fear for life forces Olive to experience a "contest within her" (169).  Although not afraid to tell the truth in trivial moments, the protagonist struggles to free her emotions when dealing with dire situations- including the tension between herself and her son. Her internal conflict grows and grows, and along with it blossoms self-pity and anger. Too busy experiencing extreme hatred or compassion for someone, Olive fails to find her own place in the world. Kitteridge's inner loneliness allows Strout to evoke pathos from those who also face personal plight. This emotion lingers even after Henry accuses Olive for rarely apologizing, for which she admits "he was right" (267). Her realization, years after her husbands death, marks a significant turning point in Olive's self-assessment. I agreed with Henry's claim, and resented his wife's inability to take responsibility for her actions. Therefore, her direct characterization of Henry as "right" juxtaposes her previous pride and offered a spark of hope. I have waited 267 pages to hear Olive say those words! Admitting one's mistakes may seem normal, but for Kitteridge, doing so would threaten her false confidence and pompousness. Her matter of fact tone created by the casual diction of "right" represented a huge transformation in the way Olive looks at herself and those surrounding her. At this point, nothing can go wrong. The main character finally finds faults in herself, which ironically fosters closure and happiness. Now that the inner-makeover completes itself, Olive now looks at the world with a newfound optimism and does "not want to leave it" (170). Completely juxtaposing her past apathy, Olive's new zest for life heartens me. After watching her husband die and old age bring stress upon many others, Kitteridge often speaks of death as a knight in shining armor to save her from the crazy world in which she lives. Her indirect characterization as satisfied with her place in life reveals a whole new Olive. The old Olive unnerved me, but this different, content woman really heightened my praise for the end of Strout's novel. I found her revolution encouraging as the author revealed the potential for true happiness and self-love. Leaving me smug, the novel's completion motivate's me to expose the importance of embracing flaws and accepting one's real self. Closing the book for the last time, I knew that I would miss the sassy and relentless Olive Kitteridge.