English & Literature

Who is Ginny Peace from The Truest Pleasure and what is their importance?

Asked by
Last updated by Cat
1 Answers
Log in to answer

Ginny Peace begins the novel as an awkward teenager with dark hair and eyes, large hands a feet, and a love of books. When she has her first experience with Spirit possession at a Pentecostal church service, she finds that this type of worship is her new passion. There are never any problems with her religion until she marries Tom Powell and starts a family with him. Tom does not approve of Ginny's Pentecostal worship and forbids her from attending the services any longer. Ginny defiantly continues to attend the services, which leads to many problems in her marriage. Ginny accuses Tom of being greedy and controlling, while he accuses her of being a devil worshiper. Ginny continues to attend the meetings until her third pregnancy ends in a miscarriage. Before the miscarriage, Ginny is nearly attacked by a rabid dog, which could be a symbol for the devil. During the baby's funeral, Ginny is visited by an evil spirit that appears to have come to collect the baby's soul. As the novel progresses, Ginny moves back and forth between desperately needing the church revivals and desperately trying to save her marriage. It is clear she can only have one at a time - her faith or her marriage, which is Ginny's greatest conflict to overcome in the novel. At the end, Ginny discovers that she can have both - that caring for her husband is an act of worship and praise. By the time she discovers this, however, it is too late - her husband is dead. In the moments after his death, Ginny realizes that loving him and creating a life together truly has been her truest pleasure.