Abigail Kirk This character is Abigail Kirk, who is the protagonist of the story. For the first ten years her life, she was Lynette Kirk, “happy as a lark”, and “hot-headed rag of a child”. She “vibrated with devotion” for many things, and was wrapped around her father’s fingers until he left her and her mother, Kathy, for another woman. She then stopped answering to Lynette, or any of the nicknames that reminded her of the betrayal that she suffered.
One day, just to spite her grandmother, who incidentally has a spooky habit of speaking to her perm, and whom she shares an unspoken agreement to hate each other, she decided she wanted to adopt a name that was associated with witches, thus Lynette became Abigail, “ from now on I’m Abigail Kirk and as soon as I am old enough, I will change the Kirk too”. Abigail is a private child, a reserved girl, keeping everyone at arm’s length. She is considered an outsider, and she didn’t care for friends.
She was hurt after her father’s betrayal, and started pushing everyone away for fear of being hurt again. “She carefully laid false trails into her secret heart”, “yet when she grows older, she longs for someone to laugh at the false trails with”. Even though she hates her father, she still loves him. She misunderstands her parents’ situation, being only fourteen, and holds a grudge against her mother for going back to her father and agreeing to move to Norway, “he whistles and she goes back like a well trained dog”.
Abigail is close to Natalie as she reminds Abigail a little of what she used to be when she was younger. She is protective of Natalie, who adores Vincent without restraint, therefore allowing her to be hurt by him. Beatie and Abigail have a love-hate relationship due to Abigail blaming Beatie for bringing her to the 18th century Sydney, and Beatie’s refusal to help Abigail get home, and Abigail threatening to tell Granny that Beatie has the gift. Abigail dislikes her Grandmother, who wears glittery scarves and high heels, who picks on Abigail on every opportunity, and bullies Kathy.
The Essay on Playing Beatie Bow
What does Abigail learn about the importance of the family? Discuss how Ruth Park represents her characters and ideas about the family using (3) novel and language techniques In the novel Playing Beatie Bow by Ruth Park, the protagonist Abigail learns about the importance of the family. She is a headstrong fourteen-year old girl who has had troubles in her own family, but when she is transported ...
Apparently, Grandmother also used to pick on Weyland Kirk, Abigail’s father, and talks to her perm. Abigail is portrayed as a fourteen year old girl for most of the story, who keeps everyone away for fear of being hurt, and conceals her heart beneath a layer of impenetrable ice. She doesn’t understand the true meaning of love, and she has, according to her, “missed her mother’s winning quaintness, and her father’s ash blond distinction. ” She despairs of her figure ever arriving, “she is as thin and flat as a board” with a narrow brown face, and coffee black eyes.
