Character Analysis: Mystic River

Mystic River is a modern orchestration of any Shakespearian drama, with all characters hiding ulterior motives and peculiar relationships to one another. Exploring the outlandish plots that ultimately leads to the characters of Jimmy Markum and Sean Devine facing their responsibility in the abduction of their childhood friend Dave Boyle, there is much reason to stop and consider the other characters involved in the complicated line of events throughout this movie. One great example of this is the character of Annabeth Markum, wife of Jimmy Markum, who is a very devoted housewife and mother in the Markum house, but beneath that surface, there is a woman who is extremely jealous of any other woman who comes in to contact with her husband.

Annabeth not only considers Jimmy 's daughter from his previous marriage, Katie, a burden, but also a competitor for her husband 's affection, and encourages Jimmy to distance himself from her. Right before her daughter Nadine 's first communion, and co-incidentally before Katie 's disappearance, Annabeth lays down a sly remark about how Katie has made a habit of ruining special events for the family, and makes an attempt to portray Katie as unreliable much to her husband 's disdain. She seems very eager to subtly point out that their mutual children should be Jimmy 's first priority, and takes every chance to belittle Katie and her importance to Jimmy. This is a perfect example of her jealousy towards women in Jimmy 's presence, regardless