| rdfs:comment | - Frances Goldsmith is a main character and one of the key heroines in the novel The Stand, with a great deal of the story being narrated from her point of view.
- Fran was the daughter of Peter and Carla Goldsmith of Ogunquit, Maine. She once had an older brother, but when she was four and Fred was thirteen, he was killed by a drunk driver. Warm, spirited, and often tomboyish, Fran is stated by Peter to have a personality very much like Carla's. This notion strains Fran's credulity, as after Fred's death her mother shut down emotionally, becoming cold and distant: obsessed with her spotless parlor, her involvement with church and town activities, and the importance of keeping up outward appearances — "a real Ogunquit Snob." Her relationship with Fran is antagonistic, and she seems to enjoy chastising her for improper or unladylike behavior.
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| abstract | - Fran was the daughter of Peter and Carla Goldsmith of Ogunquit, Maine. She once had an older brother, but when she was four and Fred was thirteen, he was killed by a drunk driver. Warm, spirited, and often tomboyish, Fran is stated by Peter to have a personality very much like Carla's. This notion strains Fran's credulity, as after Fred's death her mother shut down emotionally, becoming cold and distant: obsessed with her spotless parlor, her involvement with church and town activities, and the importance of keeping up outward appearances — "a real Ogunquit Snob." Her relationship with Fran is antagonistic, and she seems to enjoy chastising her for improper or unladylike behavior. By contrast Fran is very close to her laid-back, earthy father. Her happiest childhood memories were of spending time with Peter in his workshop or his garden, talking or listening to his gentle wisdom while he worked. On the eve of the superflu outbreak Fran is a twenty-one year old college student. She finds herself pregnant by her boyfriend Jesse Rider; while Fran intends to keep the baby, she cannot bring herself to contemplate marriage to Jess, as she considers him "weak", and ultimately realizes she does not love him. Peter reacts stoically to the news of the unplanned pregnancy, but Carla nearly has an apoplectic fit, convinced that this scandal will destroy her reputation in town. After she mercilessly berates Fran, Peter uncharacteristically intervenes and lays down the law, even slapping his wife when her hysterics get out of hand.
- Frances Goldsmith is a main character and one of the key heroines in the novel The Stand, with a great deal of the story being narrated from her point of view.
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