Pat Conroy was an author who grew up in South Carolina. His works were influenced by his life and experiences which occurred from when he was young to the present time. He attended Beaufred High School with a good buddy,Bruce Harper. They did many things together from playing golf to swimming. It seemed as though he was very close to his mother,Peggy as he talked about her much more than he mentioned his father.
He told about things she enjoyed such as living near the shore to collect seashells and her fear of hurricanes. She was not much into socializing with other people,but never felt isolated due to the flow of humanity which occurred at the golf course they lived next to. Pats first trip to Fripp Island, on the shoulder of the Atlantic Ocean, was during the summer of his 15th year. Marine Kernel and his son took him on a fishing trip there.
Pats mother died in 1984 while living in Fripp. The views of the sea, waves,and light all symbolized his mother. He felt that nature was a way of approaching god. He bought a house on the lagoon to observe wildlife which influenced his writing. He wrote about the salty marsh, the beach, and animals. He always tries to inhabit the soul of things before writing about them and as a result the way he has lived pays off in his success today.