Still Life

Evelyn Skinner is an important protagonist in this novel, and her story is told in parallel with Ulysses’s. In the beginning of the novel, Evelyn is an elder art historian who makes the dangerous decision to move to Italy during World War II. Evelyn is friendly, kind, and interested in others. She is also brave and will do anything to preserve and protect art. She represents art in the novel: She’s the one who teaches Ulysses and Alys to appreciate art for its symbolic resonance and its contribution to human society. Evelyn understands that art is humanity’s way of making its mark on the world. Art is also a way of moving the human soul and inviting larger questions of identity. Thus, Evelyn’s love for art echoes her love for people. Evelyn’s love of people is evident in her role as a beloved teacher, a respected professional, and a good friend and lover. Evelyn is a strong female character, and her identity as a lesbian is as important as her role of modeling artistic appreciation in the novel. Evelyn lives in a time when romantic and sexual relationships between members of the same sex must be kept a secret. In certain artistic and liberal circles, she can let her guard down and be her true self, but in most public spaces, Evelyn introduces her lovers as friends.

Despite this forced public repression, Evelyn is proud of her sexuality and her ability to love and accept love. She has had meaningful experiences in love with women and does not internalize any shame. She lives her life with radical independence and joy. She is therefore an important role model for young women like Alys, who don’t have a maternal figure and are part of a society that represses conversations around the spectrum of sexuality. Her turning 99 symbolizes that she has lived nearly a century, and though the century in which she lived tried to impose its repressive values on her, she defined that century on her own terms.

Cress is a member of Ulysses’s chosen family. He is a well-known figure in his neighborhood in London for his quiet kindness, and his reliability. In this novel, Cress undergoes character development that frees him of loneliness. He is deeply moved by natural beauty, especially that of trees. Cress can see and appreciate things in nature that most people cannot, highlighting his empathy for all living beings. Cress’s move to Italy represents a new, hopeful phase of his life, in which he will try to find love for the first time. Even though he is older, the message of his character is that it’s never too late to make a fresh start.

When his lover, Paola, dies, Cress doesn’t give up on the world. Instead, he embodies the novel’s message that love is worth the risk because it has taught Cress that there is beauty and happiness in the world. Cress’s death leaves a hole in the pensione family, but they scatter his ashes in nature so he can grow into a tree, keeping Cress metaphorically alive and honoring his communion with nature. 

Peggy Temper is an important secondary character. When the reader is first introduced to Peggy, she is the young wife of Ulysses who seeks independence when he is away at war. She is notable for her beauty and her tough attitude. Her life trajectory changes when Eddie disappears and she realizes she is pregnant; Peggy never wanted children because she had a difficult relationship with her own mother and she craves autonomy. She cannot even raise her daughter due to her resentment and grief. As the years go on, Peggy loses her independent spirit. Readers may judge Peggy for abandoning her daughter or relying on men for her wellbeing, but in postwar England, Peggy and women like her had few options for independent survival. Work establishments often shunned single mothers, and Peggy believes that Alys will have a better life with Ulysses.

Peggy internalizes the dynamic of helplessness that society forces on her and turns to men who help her achieve her dreams, even though men repeatedly disappoint and oppress her. As long as Peggy stays in London, she cannot change her life for the better. In Italy, Peggy is able to move her life forward, once again proving the power of chosen family.