The Prince of Tides (novel)
Encyclopedia
The Prince of Tides is a novel by Pat Conroy
, first published in 1986. It revolves around traumatic events that affected former football player Tom Wingo's relationship with his immediate family. Tom's elder brother, Luke, met a tragic and premature death and his sister, Savannah, a published poet, has attempted suicide and is now in a deep depression.
Eventually, Tom reveals the most traumatic event of their childhood, which ultimately caused the first of several of Savannah's suicide attempts. A man the children nickname "Callanwolde", who they first encounter in a wood next to their grandmother's home in Atlanta, escapes from prison with two other men and goes to the Wingo's home on Melrose Island, South Carolina. They rape Tom, Savannah (they were just 18 years old), and Lila (their mother). Luke, who was working outside, comes to the house, sees through the window the men, and releases the family's pet tiger, Caesar, who kills the men raping Lila and Savannah; Tom kills the man who had attacked him. The mother and the children dispose of the men's bodies and she made them promise that they would never tell a soul about what happened.
After the revelation of the rape, Lowenstein feels like she is even closer to helping Savannah. Tom then tells the story of how their brother, Luke, died. Lila ends up divorcing Henry many years later, and marries Reese Newbury, a prominent landowner in the city of Colleton and former husband of a childhood rival, next to Melrose Island. Lila had gained the land in the settlement, and sells it to Reese. Reese sells all of the land in Colleton county and the Atomic Energy Commission begins the construction of production plants there. Luke, an ex-Navy SEAL who served in Vietnam, decides to fight for his land and the city, using guerrilla tactics to destroy bridges and building equipment, becoming a wanted man. He is tracked down by Savannah and Tom who try to persuade him to give up instead of being killed by the FBI. Luke is finally persuaded to surrender himself at a time and place of his choosing, but en route to the meeting, is shot and killed. Luke's death was the driving force behind Savannah's latest suicide attempt, and Lowenstein and Tom figure out that in order to save Savannah, she would have to write poetry about Luke's life the way she wrote about her childhood.
As the novel concludes, Savannah is making her recovery and Tom becomes closer to his wife and children. Henry, after being released from prison for drug trafficking, is confronted by Tom about his abuse, but does not remember ever hurting his family. Although Savannah and Tom can never completely forgive him for the damage that he did, they look forward to getting to know their father better, who acts like a changed man. By the end of the novel, they had not repaired their relationship with their mother.
Tom's meetings with Lowenstein also helped him better understand himself and save his marriage. Tom ends up as emotionally detached as his father and mother were, and because of this he never learns how to love his family. Sallie cheats on Tom, and the two nearly divorce. Tom falls in love with Lowenstein through the course of the novel, but realizes that he still loves Sallie. Lowenstein and Tom part ways after saving Savannah, and Tom returns to his family to become the father that he never was.
, with Nick Nolte
as Tom, Melinda Dillon
as Savannah, Kate Nelligan
as their mother, and Barbra Streisand
(who also directed) as Lowenstein, was released. Although not as critically acclaimed as the novel, the movie was a box-office hit and was nominated for several Academy Awards
, including Best Picture
.
Pat Conroy
Pat Conroy , is a New York Times bestselling author who has written several acclaimed novels and memoirs. Two of his novels, The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini, were made into Oscar-nominated films.-Early life:...
, first published in 1986. It revolves around traumatic events that affected former football player Tom Wingo's relationship with his immediate family. Tom's elder brother, Luke, met a tragic and premature death and his sister, Savannah, a published poet, has attempted suicide and is now in a deep depression.
Plot summary
Tom travels to New York City to discuss his sister's problems with Dr. Susan Lowenstein, her psychiatrist. Starting in her childhood, Savannah experienced schizophrenic hallucinations involving bloody figures and dogs which tell her to kill herself. Savannah moves to New York and becomes an emerging writer of poetry, writing about her past as a way to escape from it. After many years, Savannah attempts suicide and nearly succeeds, the hallucinations still haunting her. In flashbacks which take up most of the novel, Tom relates incidents from his childhood to Lowenstein, who hopes that by finding out what pushed Savannah into her latest suicide attempt she and Tom can discover how to save her life. We learn that Tom and his siblings were the offspring of an abusive father and uncaring mother. The father, Henry, a WWII bomber crewman who survived being shot down and managed to evade capture by the Nazis, thought that the best way to raise a family was by beating them, and did so regularly. He was a shrimp boat operator and, despite being successful at that profession, spent all of his money on frivolous business pursuits. One business attempt was a gas station that he advertised with a live tiger (that became the family pet, Caesar). These attempts leave the family in poverty. Their overly proud, status-hungry mother was only concerned for the family's public image, and would not let her children say a word about their father's abuse.Eventually, Tom reveals the most traumatic event of their childhood, which ultimately caused the first of several of Savannah's suicide attempts. A man the children nickname "Callanwolde", who they first encounter in a wood next to their grandmother's home in Atlanta, escapes from prison with two other men and goes to the Wingo's home on Melrose Island, South Carolina. They rape Tom, Savannah (they were just 18 years old), and Lila (their mother). Luke, who was working outside, comes to the house, sees through the window the men, and releases the family's pet tiger, Caesar, who kills the men raping Lila and Savannah; Tom kills the man who had attacked him. The mother and the children dispose of the men's bodies and she made them promise that they would never tell a soul about what happened.
After the revelation of the rape, Lowenstein feels like she is even closer to helping Savannah. Tom then tells the story of how their brother, Luke, died. Lila ends up divorcing Henry many years later, and marries Reese Newbury, a prominent landowner in the city of Colleton and former husband of a childhood rival, next to Melrose Island. Lila had gained the land in the settlement, and sells it to Reese. Reese sells all of the land in Colleton county and the Atomic Energy Commission begins the construction of production plants there. Luke, an ex-Navy SEAL who served in Vietnam, decides to fight for his land and the city, using guerrilla tactics to destroy bridges and building equipment, becoming a wanted man. He is tracked down by Savannah and Tom who try to persuade him to give up instead of being killed by the FBI. Luke is finally persuaded to surrender himself at a time and place of his choosing, but en route to the meeting, is shot and killed. Luke's death was the driving force behind Savannah's latest suicide attempt, and Lowenstein and Tom figure out that in order to save Savannah, she would have to write poetry about Luke's life the way she wrote about her childhood.
As the novel concludes, Savannah is making her recovery and Tom becomes closer to his wife and children. Henry, after being released from prison for drug trafficking, is confronted by Tom about his abuse, but does not remember ever hurting his family. Although Savannah and Tom can never completely forgive him for the damage that he did, they look forward to getting to know their father better, who acts like a changed man. By the end of the novel, they had not repaired their relationship with their mother.
Tom's meetings with Lowenstein also helped him better understand himself and save his marriage. Tom ends up as emotionally detached as his father and mother were, and because of this he never learns how to love his family. Sallie cheats on Tom, and the two nearly divorce. Tom falls in love with Lowenstein through the course of the novel, but realizes that he still loves Sallie. Lowenstein and Tom part ways after saving Savannah, and Tom returns to his family to become the father that he never was.
Reception and other media
The Prince of Tides was acclaimed by critics and became a best seller. In 1991, a film versionThe Prince of Tides
The Prince of Tides is a 1991 romantic drama film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Pat Conroy; the film stars Barbra Streisand and Nick Nolte. It tells the story of the narrator's struggle to overcome the psychological damage inflicted by his dysfunctional childhood in South Carolina...
, with Nick Nolte
Nick Nolte
Nicholas King "Nick" Nolte is an American actor whose career has spanned over five decades, peaking in the 1990s when his commercial success made him one of the most popular celebrities of that decade.-Early life:...
as Tom, Melinda Dillon
Melinda Dillon
Melinda Rose Dillon is an American actress, perhaps best known for her roles in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and the holiday classic A Christmas Story.-Early life and career:...
as Savannah, Kate Nelligan
Kate Nelligan
Patricia Colleen "Kate" Nelligan is a Canadian BAFTA award winning stage, film and television actress.-Early life:Nelligan, the fourth of six children, was born in London, Ontario, the daughter of Josephine Alice , a schoolteacher, and Patrick Joseph Nelligan, a factory repairman and municipal...
as their mother, and Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
(who also directed) as Lowenstein, was released. Although not as critically acclaimed as the novel, the movie was a box-office hit and was nominated for several Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
, including Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...
.