Claud is a minor character but he really struck me as one of the few characters in this novel with some depth. I find this especially interesting because he is only in the novel for a short time (the ball scene). I guess he struck me because of all the stories I hear about returning soldiers. Also, my sister's good friend committed suicide not too long ago and Claud's experience with death seemed to ring true in a book that is littered with poking fun at everything. Here are the two quotes that caught my attention and gave me more insight into him.
"Claud, who had served in the Anglo-Nicaraguan wars of '46, was at ease in the comfortable silence in which they sat, and allowed the irony and grief of his natural expression to emerge beneath the mask of cheerful idiocy with which he usually covered his sallow, charming face. He had seen his friends die in anguish in the wars. For him, the whole of the rest of his life was an amusing game which no man of taste and intelligence could permit himself to take seriously"(161-2).
Later, Claud comments that Flora is having a great time and she replies that she is and so is he. Her response is followed with his internal thoughts, "It was true; he did. But never without a pang of exquisite pain in his heart, and a conviction that he was a traitor"(164).
This last quote in particular is what struck me because it completely captures what I imagine survivor's guilt must feel like. A definite serious note hidden in the funny. What do you think? Did he strike you at all?
2 comments:
Yeah, I had a similar reaction. I remember thinking of him as a shallow socialite when he was first introduced, especially because of the way young Hawk-Monitor was described as not being very bright and Claud was a friend of that group. But Gibbons's description of Claud was sort of an eye-opener. I think it demonstrates her talent because her characters seem so exagerrated and then she introduces someone with multiple levels like Claud.
I also want to add, and I should have said this earlier, I am very sorry for your sister's loss. Suicide is always so difficult to deal with on top of the loss of a friend. She's lucky to be living with you and to have you there for her.
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