He falls into a life of debauchery and women, seeking peace that he will never find and suffering from the guilt of his actions. Merridith, as a man who strives for a solid identity, cannot handle his own desires and what is expected of him. Their stories show that their villainy comes from their struggles. Merridith and Mulvey also both function as fallen heroes. Yet, like Mary, O’Connor shows that there is more to these characters than their archetype. Having used and abused her, these men significantly contribute to her downfall. Tyrannical Villains and Fallen HeroesWhen it comes to Mary, both Merridith and Mulvey can be seen as villains. Mary Duane prevails through the abuse and oppression she endures as an Irish peasant woman and under the cruelty of the famine. She decides to leave the Merridith family and even rises above the villainy of Mulvey by letting him leave the ship with her, giving him mercy instead of seeking retribution (O’Connor 366).
They broke her innocence, her tenderness, and her spirit. Out of hunger for love he had thrown love away” (O’Connor 228). Merridith too understands that “He had murdered her trust for no other reason than obedience: his crippling and crippled desire to please. Mulvey even admits to this wrong against her, realizing that “He had deserted the only woman he has ever wanted, for no other reason than his own sickening weakness” (O’Connor 214).
Although not a virginal maiden by definition’s standard, Mary struggles against those who have power over her: the tyrannical male villains who use her for their own pleasure and objectives. She knew her role and he knew his” (O’Connor 46). Mary considers the circumstance, knowing that “She was one of His Lordship’s charity cases: the local girl he rescued from a beggary in Dublin. The Virginal MaidenMary Duane-a woman who tragedy constantly follows-has lived a life of poverty and starvation twice abandoned by lovers, eventually driven into prostitution, and now suffering from sexual abuse at the hands of her Master, David Merridith. All three are marginalized by society and each other, and a significant part of the identity struggles that these characters have come from this marginalization. In the novel there are three main characters that the story centers on: David Merridith, Mary Duane, and Pius Mulvey. O’Connor’s Star of the Sea portrays these character types with influence from the Irish Famine and society at the time of the story. A traditional Gothic text would have a fallen hero, Byronic for the most part a virginal maiden, functioning as the damsel in distress and a tyrannical villain. Identity struggle is prevalent in the Gothic genre because of the character types that often occur within the novels.
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