Waller's protagonist is presented in this character analysis consisting of four pages. Four sources are cited in the bibliography.
Name of Research Paper File: TG15_TGrobkin.rtf
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male protagonist of Robert James Wallers 1992 romantic novel, The Bridges of Madison County, was a John Wayne type who proved that intellect and sensitivity did not have be sacrificed
for machismo. Kincaid was a divorced 52-year-old freelance photographer for National Geographic (Thomas and Baas). His career well suited his vagabond lifestyle. He had been divorced years
ago; the marriage was doomed to fail in hindsight because Kincaid was married to his career. Attracted to its pristine landscape, he settled in Washington state but the promise
of a photographic assignment could always resurrect his wanderlust. In the green pickup truck he lovingly referred to as Harry, Kincaid traveled to Winterset, Iowa, which just happened to
be the birthplace of John Wayne, to complete a photo assignment on their many covered bridges (Thomas and Baas). While puffing on a Camel, Robert thought to himself, "It
would be good to have someone, a woman... getting older puts you in that frame of mind" (Waller 7-8). If a way to a mans heart is through his stomach,
the foods and beverages he consumes must speak volumes about him. In The Bridges of Madison County, Robert James Waller "uses food as a measuring cup of personality, a
leavening for plot, and an ingredient in the theme" (Kellman 435). The contradictions in Robert Kincaids character are revealed by his love of Milky Way candy bars for breakfast,
an ice cold beer to whet his parched lips on a hot summers day, but also included a strict vegetarian regimen that ensured him a trim physique which looked like
he subsisted on a diet of "nothing but fruits and nuts and vegetables" (Kellman 435). While it might be difficult to imagine John Wayne curling up with a book,