Heart-Shaped Box

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2007

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Chapters 1-12

Part 1, Chapter 13-Part 2, Chapter 22

Part 2, Chapters 23-31

Part 2, Chapter 32-Part 3, Chapter 41

Part 3, Chapter 42-Part 4

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Character Analysis

Judas “Jude” Coyne (Justin Cowzynski)

Jude is the dynamic and round protagonist of Heart-Shaped Box. Jude is a retired rock star who lives on a secluded farm in upstate New York with his dogs, Angus and Bon; assistant, Danny Wooten; and a rotation of younger girlfriends, his latest being Marybeth “Georgia” Kimball. He collects macabre items, an interest that instigates Craddock McDermott’s haunting through Jessica Price’s auctioned suit and positions him to accept that the haunting is real. He begins the novel as a selfish man, a trait that stems from unresolved trauma surrounding his abusive, dying father and the deaths of his bandmates, one of whom died by suicide and the other from AIDS. Furthermore, Jude objectifies his girlfriends as he does his macabre collection, giving them nicknames based on their state of origin to create distance. When he and Georgia (Marybeth) discuss banishing Craddock’s ghost, he wants to do so alone, partially to protect his girlfriend and partially to retain distance. While misogynistic, he has moments of empathy and exhibits guilt upon learning that his former girlfriend Anna “Florida” Price allegedly died by suicide after their breakup.

Overall, Jude’s journey comprises seeing Georgia as Marybeth and learning from her selfless vulnerability. He mirrors this behavior by stabbing his own hand to free himself from Craddock’s hypnotism to stop himself from killing Marybeth. This moment is significant, as he’s already lost use of one hand to his father’s abuse; he chooses Marybeth over his guitar playing. This movement toward selflessness is showcased again at the end of the novel when Jude fights Marybeth’s assailant and follows her into death (the “nightroad”). It’s no coincidence that he finally finds the courage to commit to a girlfriend in his father’s house: It is the act of killing Craddock/Martin that allows him to overcome past trauma and look to the future. Furthermore, Jude finds closure by contacting Anna’s ghost and helps her niece, Reese—hoping that she, too, will seize the future.

Marybeth “Georgia” Kimball

Marybeth, or “Georgia,” is a former stripper from Georgia and the current girlfriend of Jude. Jude believes that Marybeth is running from her past, which turns out to be true, as she was sexually assaulted as a child. Despite this trauma, she exhibits strength through selflessness. When she and Jude head to Florida, she notes, “I’ve been with a lot of bad guys who made me feel lousy about myself, Jude, but you’re something special. Because I knew none of them really cared about me, but you do, and you make me feel like a shitty hooker anyway” (143). Marybeth’s willingness to stay with him despite his emotional and verbal abuse speaks to the cyclical nature of abuse.

Overall, Marybeth’s journey comprises growing with Jude through shared vulnerability. She chooses to help him banish Craddock’s ghost and suffers decaying hands as a result. Her connection to Anna’s ghost opens her up to the idea that she will become a “door” bridging life and death; upon being slashed by Craddock/Martin, Marybeth embraces death to defeat the ghost. These selfless acts change Jude and allow him to approach death, thereby saving Marybeth and himself. In the end, the couple form a healthy relationship, reinforced by their shared experiences with the supernatural and Marybeth’s healed hands.

Anna “Florida” Price

Anna, or “Florida,” is the stepdaughter of Craddock McDermott, sister of Jessica Price, aunt of Reese, and former girlfriend of Jude. Anna initially appears in Jude’s memories and is often depicted experiencing manic or depressive episodes as a result of bipolar disorder. The couple’s relationship ended after a depressive episode in which she wandered half naked at night. For Jude, Anna’s most memorable feature was her tendency to ask questions—which stemmed from her sexual abuse by Craddock, enabled by Jessica. Her confrontation of the two (for exploiting Reese) led to her murder (framed as a suicide), but Jude and Marybeth ultimately enable her to “kill” Craddock. When he wounds her ghost, “another seam open[s] in the eternal, and into his face pour[s] the bountiful light, a light that burn[s] away his features” (328). In death, Anna transforms her trauma into strength.

Craddock McDermott

Craddock is the novel’s static antagonist. He is the stepfather of Anna and Jessica Price and uncle of Reese. He practiced hypnosis and divination during the Vietnam War, and Jude learns though Jessica’s auctioned suit that he used his powers to manipulate, murder, and sexually assault all the women in his family. While they were dating, Anna told Jude that Craddock “doesn’t think much of musicians at all. You’ve never met a man with less music in him” (187). This lack of “music” speaks to his lack of empathy, which is mirrored by Martin. Thus, his demise offers two reversals of power: Firstly, while Craddock equates humans to machines susceptible to his control, Jude actively unlearns objectifying behavior. Secondly, it is Anna, the abused, who ultimately “kills” her abuser.