Carson McCullers’ book, The Member of the Wedding, was first published in 1946. It is predominantly about the divisions between people. This is where Frankie, a girl, comes in. Frankie is a young girl who is in a confused, almost frustrating position. At a time, Frankie states “They are the we of me.” She composes these words due to the fact that she thinks that she builds off of the people around her. She, in my opinion, lives what almost every American teenager experiences. The desire of fitting in. Being able to be in a group, and also being able to choose if it is the best group to be in. She feels as if there is an ignorance bubble around her. The main characters in the story are Frankie, Berenice, and John Henry. These are the characters that were the most important out of everybody else. Berenice is a maid in the house who is African-American. John Henry is Frankie’s cousin. He is about 5 to 6 years of age. The main characters definitely had quite a few adventures. For instance, Berenice, the maid, happens to have a life changing twist at the end of the story. John Henry, on the other hand, something incredibly unexpected happens to him. The incident turns Frankie’s whole life around in a difficult way. Frankie herself, has also had many adventures. Many of those adventures take place in her own head, but her adventure takes place during the story, and one may not even notice it. She is the adventure, Frankie grows in many different ways it is possible to miss.

As my own experiences, I do feel, not a huge, but slim connection towards Frankie. She is young, lost at some points and thoughtful. By thoughtful I mean, she has a small little world of fantasy in her head. She has a cousin who is close to being treated like a brother. I, myself, have a brother. In my opinion, I do feel some of the same emotions Frankie feels. Frankie also makes the reader think. Such as, when she wants to escape to a place of nowhere, why is it she wants to do that? She thinks this because if nobody in the world she lives in, lets her in than she does not bother to care about anything. This is a frustrating emotion. When there are groups all over the place, many to choose from, and all of them have doors, sometimes most of them are locked. It is, again, an emotion that almost every teenager goes through. The concept of the book is quite insightful. It is insightful mainly because it shows how there is a reason that individuals have stages in life. It shows that if one wants to grow up, they can but if one wants to be mature, mainly mentally, they must be able to handle whatever life throws at them when they are on their own.

I do see myself recommending this book. It is not a massive book, but it contains a lot of mind obstacles. It is mind challenging in a way of which the reader can view things or scenes differently. When the author, Carson McCullers, talks in her own manner, one can lean their thoughts into a new direction. The person I would recommend this book to is not just any person. They have to be open-hearted to read this book. This book is worthy of a special person. In other words, the book is much more understandable when one actually puts their time into it. It is not a book one should read by force, otherwise it will become boring. It is a book that deserves a person with an open mind. Carson McCullers does a phenomenal job in exemplifying the life of a girl filled with inner struggles. The setting, location, gives the book an old-fashioned back round. She leaves a pleasant way of thinking after the reader reads, The Member of the Wedding.