Hornclaw

Hornclaw is the main character of the novel. Although she is only 65 years old, “the number and depth of the grooves in her face make her look closer to eighty” (12). At the novel’s start, the author also asserts that the way “she carries herself and the way she dresses [does not] leave a strong impression on anyone” (12). Therefore, Hornclaw is effectively invisible. In a society that deems senior citizens worthless and disposable, Hornclaw is compelled to see herself in kind. She knows that her “bones and muscles are still strong,” yet is also acutely aware of the ways in which others disdain and condescend to her because of her age (23). She is therefore perpetually worried that she will be dismissed from her job at the disease control agency, although she was a founding partner. Indeed, despite the fact that Hornclaw is of retirement age, she cannot get...