A Modern Angel in the House

She may be friends with a vampire but that doesn't mean she's not an angel. In my opinion, Gran is the epitome of what an angel in the house is supposed to be in almost every way. If you recall the poem by Coventry Patmore, a woman's job in Victorian times was to take care of the house and children, wait patiently for her husband to return home and then be completely devoted to his every need. She is kind, patient and makes sacrifices often. While reading Dead Until Dark and watching True Blood, I noticed a parallel between how Gran takes care of Sookie and how ideal Victorian women were supposed to act.

The first introduction to Gran we have in the book is her reading, waiting for Sookie to get home from work even though it's extremely late. Just as an angel in the house should, she continues to do this many times throughout the story to make sure that Sookie comes it home safely, which we all know is an impossible task.

Why did the two best characters have to go?

Almost every time Gran comes up again in the book or show she's doing some kind of domestic task, hanging clothes on the line, cooking or having just cooked a meal, or cleaning. Before her death, Gran was also Sookie's confidant. She supported Sookie emotionally, listening patiently while Sookie talks through her feelings about Bill and everything else that has recently happened in her life. Again, just as a doting wife would her husband, Gran listens to the entirety of Sookie's daily adventures.

Gran is also the most unselfish character in the entire story. She is always looking out for others and making sure they stay well fed with one of her hot meals. In the case of True Blood, she often took care of Tara throughout her childhood along with Sookie and Jason after their parents died. She even disowns her own brother because of what he did to Sookie. She makes sacrifices big and small all the time, just as the poem describes an angel in the house to do.

So what do you think? Does this vampire loving women follow the prescribed characteristics set by Patmore? If Gran somehow ended up in the Victorian time period, I wonder how she would measure up to the other ladies of the time. I definitely believe that she could make some man of the period very happy. If nothing else, I know for sure that her angelic presence was wasted on Sookie Stackhouse.