Ben's Painting of a Woman

There has been some speculation of late about the painting that hung in Ben's house through his childhood, and still hangs now, in his home in the barracks (may be the same house).

Harper said to Juliet in "The Other Woman" that "you look just like her." This picture does look a lot like Juliet. The woman in this painting may be the woman to which Harper was referring.

So who is it? Well, it can't be Annie, Ben's childhood friend. It could possibly be his mom, but I doubt very much that Roger Workman could paint this, or could afford to have this painted.

Ben's painting reminds me very much of a painting that was hanging in my own childhood living room. It's a painting that was a subject of much discussion between me, my parents and sister. A painting so central to our family story that we made a miniature version with an identical miniature frame and hung it in the living room of a grand-scale dollhouse my dad built.

The painting is "Christina's World," by Andrew Wyeth. According to my dad, Christina was crippled, but would still work her dustbowl farm by dragging herself around the land using her arms.

Wyeth painted many pictures of her. I'm thinking Jacob painted the picture in Ben's home. And it is of a woman whom Jacob adored. Perhaps Eve from the caves? And Jacob is Adam: now a non-corporeal ghost/god whom Ben serves.