Ruth Anne Altman

Ruth Anne Altman, called Ruthie by her family, is Miriam Altman’s daughter and a child whose open affection reaches Angel across the guardedness of adult life. In their later visits, Ruthie runs to Angel, embraces her, and asks her to stay; her innocent questions also bring Angel’s private grief into the family’s everyday conversation.

Identity and Family

Ruth Anne is the daughter of Miriam Altman. The evidence presents her as a young child: exuberant in reunion, eager to sit in Angel’s lap, and still unaware of why certain subjects make the adults uncomfortable. Her affectionate familiarity gives her a distinct place in Angel’s life, beyond the formal ties among the adults.

Reunion with Angel

When Miriam brings Ruthie to visit, Angel is gardening on a flower-strewn hillside. Seeing the child race toward her, Angel wipes the dirt from her hands, comes through the gate, and takes a few running steps to meet her. Ruthie calls her Mandy, and Angel sweeps her up and hugs her. In a later greeting, Angel kisses Ruthie on both cheeks and her nose; Ruthie squeezes her around the neck as though she never wants to let go.

That reunion makes Ruthie’s attachment unmistakable. She asks why Angel ran away and says Angel was gone for a long time. She wants Angel to stay, and fears she might return to what Ruthie calls her old life. The child’s words, which she has heard from Paul, expose how much adult talk has reached her, even though she does not understand its full meaning. Angel’s stomach drops as Ruthie repeats it, and she cannot look at Miriam.

Family Conversations and Significance

Ruthie’s directness surfaces again when she sits in Angel’s lap and asks when Angel will have a baby. The question brings color to Angel’s cheeks and a mortified gasp from Elizabeth Altman. Miriam takes Ruthie down and firmly tells her not to ask such things, explaining that it is personal business. Ruthie asks why, plainly unable to see why the subject should trouble anyone.

These encounters place Ruthie at the boundary between childhood openness and adult secrecy. Her embraces offer Angel an unguarded welcome, while her questions inadvertently voice the fears and private matters the grown-ups try to keep contained. Through Ruthie, the novel shows both the tenderness Angel receives from the Altman family and the vulnerability of that welcome when a child repeats what she has overheard.