Eva and Elias

[Quzygirl]

Eva's power is her relentless hounding! She expects everyone to "obey" her and she is just so evil. She does have the amazing ability to "sweet talk" people- she can make you feel completely welcome in her presence (as long as she is pleased).

Meridia could not satisfy Eva unless she became the slave that Eva wanted. And I believe she did try for Daniel's sake to allow Eva full control- but it was never enough. Even when Eva tested her- such as with the baby's disheveled clothes she sent over- Meridia held her tongue.

The bees at first really confused me- were they real or just a metaphor? I finally decided it didn't matter either way, and that the bees were Eva's personal army of rage which she would set upon whoever displeased the most. She used the bees to control Elias.

I think that Elias' relationship with the children is pure. He has genuine affection for Daniel & the girls and especially with his grandson. He is seems pure of heart. Where as Eva tries to manipulate the children for her own gain. 

Very complicated family relationships! 

[kiakar]

Alot of us agree that Ravenna and Eva was the very opposites of each other. Ravenna cared for her daughter very much but did not know how to show her. Partly it was due to the depression she suffered with the birth of Meridia. Clearly what Ravenna suffered was postpartem depression. Apparently Ravenna lived in the era that did not have the knowledge of the things that affect a woman after she gives birth.

I have sacked but cannot find  one passionate detail to say about Eva. She seemed just plain evil and was so narcissistic that "me" had to be written on her from top to bottom.  I see no rhyme or reason for her behavior to others especially her family. This is one mother in law or mother I wouldn't wish on the devil itself! 

[kiakar]

Elias was a very weak person. He couldn't stand up to Eva and her evil bees. At times he fought back, but didn't ever really win in the long battle of Eva seeking complete control of all situations. I always felt like Daniel was a weakling too, because he wouldn't  stand up to his mother. It seemed he wanted to ignore all the many jestures she made to dishonor Meridia.  It was like he wanted all the unhappiness to be covered up with blankets and never go under to sort it out.  It is not easy to stand up against adversity of any kind but a strong evil Eva had to be the biggest fight going for Elias and Daniel. And really anyone else who didn't go along with her evil ways.

[LISA-BRYAN]

1) In each household, the mothers are an overpowering, supernatural force. What are Eva's qualities and powers?

Eva controls everything and everyone --- much like "if mama's not happy - no one is".  Eva seems to know everything about everyone and uses it to her advantage to get what she wants.

2)How does Meridia fit in with her? Would it be possible for Meridia to make peace with her and still be her own person?

At first, Meridia is the obedient daughter-in-law delightfully taking on her new "role" in the family.  Later, Meridia goest against Eva's demands and this causes Eva to react more negatively toward Meridia.  Thus, I do not think there will be a chance for Meridia to make peace with her.  No one can be his or her own person in Eva's eyes -- she controls everything and if you don't comply --- then there is no peace.

3) What is the role of the bees in Eva and Elias' relationship?

I liken the bees to the nagging Eva must be constantly doing towards everyone in the family except for Malin.  The bees almost become a voice for Eva's demands.

What are Eva and Elias' relationships like with each of their children?

4) Do we get glimpses here of what the earlier and more loving relationship between Eva and Elias might have looked like?

I believe that early on Eva and Elias were a loving couple but as Eva gained confidence she became powerful and the love left their relationship as well as in the entire home.

[EbonyAngel]

I had to laugh when I read this.

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dclement04 wrote:

Bottom line is Eva can go lick the bottom of my shoe....I can't stand this woman!!

Read On!

Danielle

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[dhaupt]

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Quzygirl wrote:

Eva's power is her relentless hounding! She expects everyone to "obey" her and she is just so evil. She does have the amazing ability to "sweet talk" people- she can make you feel completely welcome in her presence (as long as she is pleased).

I totally agree with you here! 

[maude40]

Eva is so controling, she drives me crazy. As she pares down everyone's belongings to add to the family budget she doesn't bother to get rid of her things, and to take Permony's books is unforgivable. I really hate her dominance over everyone. Yvonne

[eadieburke]

 

In each household, the mothers are an overpowering, supernatural force. What are Eva's qualities and powers?

Eva really has no redeeming qualitites. She is very controling and self-centered. Eva uses the bees to berate her husband and to get his attention. She also uses the bees to attack Meridia while she is pregnant. She is truly evil to try to interfer with her grandchild's birth.

How does Meridia fit in with her? Would it be possible for Meridia to make peace with her and still be her own person?

It doesn't seem like Meridia and Eva will be able to get along at all because Eva is too evil. At this point in the book, Meridia needs to just tolerate Eva so that her mother-in-law doesn't come between her and Daniel. I think she needs to not say anything back to Eva but then just do what she wants and stay one step ahead of Eva.

What is the role of the bees in Eva and Elias' relationship?

Meridia notices that Elias was a little strange. He deferred all domestic matters to Eva and desired to be left alone. He liked to sit in his rocking chair on the terrace, wrapped in a blanket with his caged birds nearby and immerse himself in books. Eva often tried to speak to him but with no success. When the sound of the bees buzzing was heard, it was an indication that Eva was upset and it was her way of forcing Elias to pay attention to what she was saying.  

What are Eva and Elias' relationships like with each of their children?

Elias seems to prefer Persomy and Eva prefers Malin. Malin seems to tell Eva everything Meridia says and does. Malin will probably grow up to be just like Eva.   

Do we get glimpses here of what the earlier and more loving relationship between Eva and Elias might have looked like?

When Eva finds the old photograph of her and Elias, she said that they were silly lovebirds as they were embracing. She said that they kissed for the last time that night, a good two years before Daniel was born. Something seems to have happened to Eva to turn her so evil. I think it was when she learned that Patina was not her real mother.

[PinkPanther]

 ****Might contain spoilers. Do not read if you have not gotten up to chapter 27****

Eva's powers are the ability to nag like no other with her bees, and to manipulate and bewitch people to bow to her needs. I absolutely hate her, but feel that if I were in her life, I too would also try to avoid those horrendous bees. 

Meridia does not really fit in with Eva, because they are complete opposites, but I do believe that Meridia is stronger than Eva. Meridia gets her way not by nagging, but by being nice, and making people see the truth. If Meridia ever does make peace with Eva, she will not be able to be herself because she dislikes Eva so much, that her feelings cannot be reversed. She can probably act nice, but that would not be Meridia's true personality.  

The bees are Eva's way of making people suffer or become her little puppets. When Elias did not listen to her orders, she sent the bees to him to prevent him from sleeping until he performed the task that she asked him to.  Elias only harmed Noah when Eva had the bees on him for more than 20 nights. His wires broke and he reacted to Evas command, and almost killed Noah. He reacted this way because he lost all sleep, and he snapped because of Eva's bees.

Eva prefers Malin because she obeys her mother, and also has evil ways. Elias prefers Permony because she truly loves her father and enjoys his company. She does not get angry with him, or look at him bad like Malin and Eva. Both parents love Daniel, but Eva is the one fighting to have Daniel on her side. She does not spoil him, but she does not torture him like she does Permony. Daniel is like the middle child who does not get all the attention, but is not ignored either. 

I have never seen a glimpse of what Eva and Elias's relationship was like in the beginning. The only time that I got a glimps of it is when Eva was describing the way that Elias reacted when Permony was born. Elias told Eva that he would be there to help her through the birth, so that meant that he actually cared about Eva, or that he only wanted to care for his last daughter.  Perhaps they were in love before Permony was born,but perhaps the birth of her changed them. Eva became jealous when he saw the way Elias gave all of his love to Permony, and that is where their relationship most likely went downhill.

[CK2750]

Excellent description:  Eva to Mrs. Olsen.  Eva makes me very uncomfortable, her constant manipulation of all and how they all give in to her. 

[GnANorman]

I totally agree with that!  Imagine if Mrs. Olson had all that supernatural stuff!  That would be a force to be reckoned with.  

[tabcat]

I see Eva as driven by money and social standing:

• She allows Daniel's marriage since Merida's family has money and  brings a nice dowry.  After Eva has what she wants from Meridia and finds that Meridia is not passive, she is more than ready to remove her from the house and Daniel's life (but keeps the dowry).
• Merida is wise to Eva's motivation and is able to get Patina's medicine by telling Eva about Patina's pain in front of her visitors.
• Eva gives in to Gabriel's demands to provide a house and business for Daniel and Merida only after Elias tells her that if they don't there will be a scandal, people will gossip about them and drag them through the mud (p.165).
• Perhaps her disappointment in finding out that she is adopted has something to do with her percieved social status if it is true as Pilar said that Eva was a "street baby" and her mother a whore (p 120)

 Tcat

[pen21]

This is off topic, but I wondered if anyone else thought of this.

Everytime I see the Mrs. Olson comparison to Eva I think of the Folgers commercial with Mrs.. Olson. I found this on Wikipedia. Granted the Folgers Mrs. Olson does not remind me of Eva.

Folgers was known for many years for television advertising, with one of its best-known campaigns (prior to the "best part of waking up" jingle) involving "Mrs. Olson," a Swedish neighbor to many of the campaign's other characters, who invariably recommended a cup of Folgers coffee as a solution to all of their problems. She also invariably reminded her listeners that Folgers was "mountain grown, the richest kind of coffee." Actress Virginia Christine portrayed Mrs. Olson in television advertisements from 1965 to 1986.

pen21

[biljounc63]

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pen21 wrote:

This is off topic, but I wondered if anyone else thought of this.

EverytimeEveryti I see the Mrs. Olson comparison to Eva I think of the Folgers commercial with Mrs.. Olson. I found Wikipedia. Granted the Folgers Mrs. Olson does not remind me of Eva.

Folgers was known for many years for television advertising, with one of its best-known campaigns (prior to the "best part of waking up" jingle) involving "Mrs. Olson," a Swedish neighbor to many of the campaign's other characters, who invariably recommended a cup of Folgers coffee as a solution to all of their problems. She also invariably reminded her listeners that Folgers was "mountain grown, the richest kind of coffee." Actress Virginia Christine portrayed Mrs. Olson in television advertisements from 1965 to 1986.

pen21

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The Mrs. Olson being referred to is from the TV Show Little House on the Prairie she was the general store owner and town busybody.

[pen21]

I know there was a Mrs. Olson in Little House on the Prairie. I enjoyed that show.

But the Folgers Mrs. Olson is always the first one I think of when I hear the name.

pen21

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biljounc63 wrote:

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pen21 wrote:

This is off topic, but I wondered if anyone else thought of this.

EverytimeEveryti I see the Mrs. Olson comparison to Eva I think of the Folgers commercial with Mrs.. Olson. I found Wikipedia. Granted the Folgers Mrs. Olson does not remind me of Eva.

Folgers was known for many years for television advertising, with one of its best-known campaigns (prior to the "best part of waking up" jingle) involving "Mrs. Olson," a Swedish neighbor to many of the campaign's other characters, who invariably recommended a cup of Folgers coffee as a solution to all of their problems. She also invariably reminded her listeners that Folgers was "mountain grown, the richest kind of coffee." Actress Virginia Christine portrayed Mrs. Olson in television advertisements from 1965 to 1986.

pen21

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The Mrs. Olson being referred to is from the TV Show Little House on the Prairie she was the general store owner and town busybody.

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[debbook]

I cringe at the way Eva treats her children, Meridia, Elias. Daniel has been blind to this for so long. I wonder if we will find out why Eva is the way she is and if he redeeems herself at all by the end.

[Coral50]

In each household, the mothers are an overpowering, supernatural force. What are Eva's qualities and powers?

Eva is the 'Queen Bee' she manipulates people to do her evil deeds for her. The use of Bee's is the same as nagging, even with this the Bee's are worst then nagging they get in your mind and push a person over the edge causing this person to do terrible things; things they would not normally do.

How does Meridia fit in with her? Would it be possible for Meridia to make peace with her and still be her own person?

Meridia loved Daniel and respected his family. She tried to fit in and did learn a lot from Eva; how to bargain with the merchants at market and when Eva sent her to help in the kitchen Meridia learned to cook and run a kitchen. These were skills she didn't have before she married and was grateful and willing to learn. 

I thought, as Meridia did, she would soon make peace with her mother-in-law.

Basically, Meridia (pure good) and Eva (pure evil) were great character parts in this story.  

What is the role of the bees in Eva and Elias' relationship?

Eva used her bees to control Elias and basically anyone else who got in her way.

What are Eva and Elias' relationships like with each of their children?

At first reading I thought Malin was like her mother, further reading tells more of her character. Permony was the source of ridicule from Eva and Eva played the two girls against each other.

Daniel was left alone by Eva and was much like his father at first.

Elias loved all his children and was especially close to Permony, as she was treated the worst by Eva.

Do we get glimpses here of what the earlier and more loving relationship between Eva and Elias might have looked like?

I really didn't see much except for the early picture of them kissing.

[fifenhorn]

Anyone else her notice the closeness of the words Eva and Evil??? (no offense to anyone here named Eva, )

Eva's bees....they're what I consider negative self-talk. Eva starts something, ever so subtly, and then continues to push and shove...she pours a little salt in the wound...then she rubs it in a bit more. As time goes on, people can't deal with it...they start believing the lies they hear and end up breaking. They give in to what they hear and lash out. Eva's way too shrewd for her own good.  Her bees were originally only for Elias...so that he became henpecked and kowtowed to her every wish....but then, when she realized that she could use this method on others, to turn people against each other, she did just that.  Throughout this book I have HATED, absolutely HATED Eva...from the very beginning when she is introduced and she shows her two faces (sweet and happy to Malin, vicious and denigrating to Permony).

Daniel is the first-born and only son, and therefore, both parents accord him the things that go with that stature.

Malin, the first-born girl, but middle child, doesn't seem to fit the middle child syndrome. Since we do not know what life was like before Permony was born, we can assume that she was doted on equally by both parents until Permony's birth. Elias saw something when Permony was born, and thus made this child his favorite. By doing so, he brought the wrath of Eva down on him. This may be where the bees first began!  Eva saw his open love and adoration for the 3rd child, and so, began plotting to keep Elias' love from Malin, thereby turning that child from him and securing Malin in her corner.

[kiakar]

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pen21 wrote:

I know there was a Mrs. Olson in Little House on the Prairie. I enjoyed that show.

But the Folgers Mrs. Olson is always the first one I think of when I hear the name.

pen21

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biljounc63 wrote:

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pen21 wrote:

This is off topic, but I wondered if anyone else thought of this.

EverytimeEveryti I see the Mrs. Olson comparison to Eva I think of the Folgers commercial with Mrs.. Olson. I found Wikipedia. Granted the Folgers Mrs. Olson does not remind me of Eva.

Folgers was known for many years for television advertising, with one of its best-known campaigns (prior to the "best part of waking up" jingle) involving "Mrs. Olson," a Swedish neighbor to many of the campaign's other characters, who invariably recommended a cup of Folgers coffee as a solution to all of their problems. She also invariably reminded her listeners that Folgers was "mountain grown, the richest kind of coffee." Actress Virginia Christine portrayed Mrs. Olson in television advertisements from 1965 to 1986.

pen21

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The Mrs. Olson being referred to is from the TV Show Little House on the Prairie she was the general store owner and town busybody.

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That women was very evil  on Little House but at least, it showed her learning lessons from her evil ways. 

[fordmg]

I am getting a little frustrated with the book and the character of Eva.   She is such an evil person, I have trouble understanding how the other characters put up with her.   Patina is so passive.   The curse on Meridia and the birth of Noah is so outragious.....I can't even evaluate the circumstance.   Why doesn't Daniel refuse her admittance into his house.   She doesn't just hurt Meridia, but Danial and Noah as well.   I hope all of this evil leads to something, because I am having trouble reading it.

MG