A Look into the Shaggs: Characters, Narrative, and Themes

The Shaggs, in this story, are three young females that formed a band in the late 60’s. They sang together, even though so many of their acquaintances believed that their music was awful. They are described as melancholy looking characters from the 1969 album cover picture they posed for. The girls, managed by their father, lived in Fremont, New Hampshire, a town known for its dull and boring demeanor. They were forced to find a way to claw their way out of the dark, lonely depression of the town.

Later in the story, the Wiggin’s girls are characterized again. Years after their father died and they were finally free to move away and live their lives, they were interviewed. Susan Orlean explains that they are still living close to where their childhood home was, though Betty is described as not having time to care about appearances. They work hard, though the youngest sister Helen still suffers from depression.

The characters in this story are written closer to that of a news story. They are introduced through common names and titles, and the narrative is lacking a dialogue. It does detail the story of how the girls began singing, the fear that their father placed in them if they even thought about quitting, and how they started from nothing and were jeered senselessly. later, the dialogue between Orleans and the sisters becomes more common and begins after the beginning anecdote. The narrative story begins with the story about the characters and their father and then continues into the interview and the after story.

This story tells of a trio that was forced to participate in something they hated because of a father that they feared. That begs the theme of fear itself, and the prison that it can place people in. Fear is a true strength and a weakness, as it is a theme throughout this story. Destiny is another theme within this story, stemming from Austin Wiggins Jr’s belief that the band was his destiny and what he was supposed to do.

This story returns to the beginning. It states that Dot still tries to approach her father’s dream and still participates in music performances, just not with the Shaggs. Orleans concludes her story by stating that the song the girls could never perform to their father’s satisfaction also stated that “you can never please/anybody/in this world.”