100 Kick-Ass Female Characters: #81
81. Vera Donovan, as seen in the novel Dolores Clairborne by Stephen King and the film Dolores Claiborne, portrayed by Judy Parfitt
I really love Stephen King's earlier books (full disclosure: I haven't read anything since Dreamcatcher.) Though not great literary works, he writes compelling (if meandering) stories which are both scary and have some pretty great insight into people. Most of my favorite King novels are those which are primarily rooted in reality: Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, The Body, Misery, The Green Mile. But my favorite book of his is Dolores Claiborne, which is also one of the few books he's written which feature a primarily female cast (the other being Carrie.)
Dolores Claiborne is about the woman in the title, a middle-aged, hardworking woman who is accused of murdering her employer, Vera Donovan. The police suspect her both because she was found over the body (she was employed by Vera as first a housekeeper and later a personal care aide) and because almost 30 years earlier Dolores was suspected of murdering her husband Joe. Her daughter Selena, who fled the island years earlier, returns and learns the truth of both deaths: her mother murdered her father after discovering that he was sexually abusing Selena and Vera threw herself down the stairs to end her suffering. The entire perceived motive of Dolores's "murder" of Vera is that Vera was considered to be a terrible bitch.
Vera Donovan arrives on the island as a very rich widow. She is unrelenting and casually rude, and, when Dolores starts working for her, she berates Dolores endlessly. It is only after Dolores breaks down sobbing after discovering Joe has stolen all the money she set aside for Selena's college that Vera's veneer cracks. She heavily implies she killed her husband, making it look like an accident, and the two bond then and there. Dolores spends the next 30 years working for Vera, who becomes her best friend, and Vera pleads with Dolores to please put her out of her misery. Vera leaves all of her money to Dolores, the only person she had in the world.
What I love about Vera is she literally does not care what anyone thinks of her. She murdered her husband, enjoys his wealth, and she takes great pride in no longer having to censor herself in any way. As evidenced with Dolores, Vera is not without compassion and, once she cares for you, she cares for you forever. I also will always love Vera for uttering what is one of the greatest lines ever: "Sometimes you have to be a high-riding bitch to survive. Sometimes being a bitch is all a woman has to hold onto."
And that's pretty kick-ass.
I really love Stephen King's earlier books (full disclosure: I haven't read anything since Dreamcatcher.) Though not great literary works, he writes compelling (if meandering) stories which are both scary and have some pretty great insight into people. Most of my favorite King novels are those which are primarily rooted in reality: Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, The Body, Misery, The Green Mile. But my favorite book of his is Dolores Claiborne, which is also one of the few books he's written which feature a primarily female cast (the other being Carrie.)
Dolores Claiborne is about the woman in the title, a middle-aged, hardworking woman who is accused of murdering her employer, Vera Donovan. The police suspect her both because she was found over the body (she was employed by Vera as first a housekeeper and later a personal care aide) and because almost 30 years earlier Dolores was suspected of murdering her husband Joe. Her daughter Selena, who fled the island years earlier, returns and learns the truth of both deaths: her mother murdered her father after discovering that he was sexually abusing Selena and Vera threw herself down the stairs to end her suffering. The entire perceived motive of Dolores's "murder" of Vera is that Vera was considered to be a terrible bitch.
Vera Donovan arrives on the island as a very rich widow. She is unrelenting and casually rude, and, when Dolores starts working for her, she berates Dolores endlessly. It is only after Dolores breaks down sobbing after discovering Joe has stolen all the money she set aside for Selena's college that Vera's veneer cracks. She heavily implies she killed her husband, making it look like an accident, and the two bond then and there. Dolores spends the next 30 years working for Vera, who becomes her best friend, and Vera pleads with Dolores to please put her out of her misery. Vera leaves all of her money to Dolores, the only person she had in the world.
What I love about Vera is she literally does not care what anyone thinks of her. She murdered her husband, enjoys his wealth, and she takes great pride in no longer having to censor herself in any way. As evidenced with Dolores, Vera is not without compassion and, once she cares for you, she cares for you forever. I also will always love Vera for uttering what is one of the greatest lines ever: "Sometimes you have to be a high-riding bitch to survive. Sometimes being a bitch is all a woman has to hold onto."
And that's pretty kick-ass.