Essay Questions

Why does Charles Whiting commit suicide?

Riches, while they might be essential in enhancing the comfort in one’s life, do not necessarily translate into happiness and fulfillment. This is particularly the case in Charles Whiting’s life. Even though he is born into a wealthy and affluent family, Charles feels quite restricted and the lack of freedom in his life is drawn to the reader’s attention when he is forced into an arranged marriage. Even though he is the sole heir to his family’s estates, Charles is not allowed to make even the most basic of decisions pertaining to his life seeing as he is forced into marriage without consent, whatsoever. Suicide thus becomes the only way the character can find the freedom that he so willingly longs for on top of putting an end to the trapped life that is ahead of him. The narrator reports how in this regard he committed suicide twenty years before the story takes place.

How is Miles's life made difficult in the novel?

Miles is surrounded by trouble. From a dysfunctional marriage to wife Janine who is also portrayed as malicious, trouble seems all around him which complicates his life further. First, Miles's business is suffering. As a result of failing businesses all through the town, most businesses have been acquired by the Whiting family—a mogul family that seizes the opportunity to acquire almost the entire town. On the other hand, Miles’s life is made all the more difficult by his wife Janine who is not only malicious but a rebel as well, brewing trouble for him and his daughter. The divorce that he is undergoing also makes his life unbearable. In this way, the notion that Miles's life is difficult is justifiable.

Explore the character of Janine as brought out in Empire Falls

Janine is proud and arrogant. Having been overweight for most of her married life to Miles, Janine exhibits arrogance and proudness following her loss of weight, a newfound character that does not settle well with her husband. Additionally, he is inconsiderate seeing as he brews trouble for both her daughter, Tick as well as her previous husband, Miles. Because of her behavior, her daughter Tick does not quite enjoy a fruitful and stable relationship with her. On the other hand, she exhibits the trait of being unfaithful when she engages in an affair with Walt Comeau. The portrayal of Janine in this novel is highlighted by a negative undertone.