Novelist Pat Conroy, who turned a traumatic childhood into a series of critically acclaimed books, has died. The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini were turned into films. His father was a Marine Corps fighter pilot, whose hobby, as Conroy said, was hitting his kids. ‘I grew up thinking my dad might kill me.”
He was born on 26 October 1945, the day before Luiz Lula (next post) who had a similar experience of his father.
Pat Conroy has the same Scorpio Sun square Pluto, Saturn Mars in Cancer – which certainly fits the military father (Mars Saturn) who is not in control of his temper, is cruel and controlling. Plus he had a more enthusiastic Jupiter Venus in Libra trine Uranus, sextile Pluto which would give him a hopeful streak.
His father, Donald, 4 April 1921 was an Aries Sun square Pluto, trine Neptune. With Uranus trine Pluto, sextile Mars Venus in Taurus. An accentuated Mars in Taurus, as here, can have a nasty and very physical streak.
Extraordinarily they had a partial reconciliation after The Great Santini was published and then filmed, a fictionalised account of his father, which his father decided was nothing to do with him. But he must subconsciously have got a wake-up call. Tr Pluto was then square his Aries Sun so the pressure for change would shift him over. Pat Conroy had several breakdowns after this, so it must have stirred up his childhood fears.
Their relationship chart has a composite Sun opposition Pluto Venus square Uranus – so was always likely to go through huge upheavals; with Sun trine Jupiter giving just enough positivity to be able to heal the rift.
Though the family was a wreck with one several of the children having breakdowns and suicides; the mother insisted family secrets were kept hidden and was appalled when Pat published his books. Though she eventually divorced after 33 years and handed the judge one of his books and said it’s all in there.