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Rose is the epitome of strength in the novel, but hers is a hard, cold strength. Rose married a musician thinking that he would help her escape the farm, but instead, Pete became a farmer, too. Once, he broke Rose’s arm in the heat of an argument, but she stays with him. Unlike Ginny, Rose fully remembers the sexual abuse by their father. The memory has made her both bitter and powerful. Also, unlike Ginny, Rose is a mother of two daughters, so she must be strong for them. She protects them from their grandfather by sending them to boarding school and not allowing them to be alone with Larry. Additionally, Rose survives a painful and disfiguring mastectomy. She comments that her breast was her pound of flesh, the price she’s paid for holding on to her rage. Rose does not change much in the novel. She remains closely connected to the anger that sustains her, even though it may kill her in the end. Unlike Ginny, Rose stands up for herself, especially against their father.

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