Afternoon Men: Analysis of Major Characters
"Afternoon Men" presents a vibrant exploration of the lives of various characters in London's Soho district during the early 20th century. At the center of the narrative is William Atwater, a young museum official characterized by his wit and ennui, who navigates a social world filled with the "Bright Young People." His friend Raymond Pringle, a struggling painter, is depicted as both carefree and financially cautious, living off an inheritance while grappling with his artistic failures. Harriet Twining, Pringle’s mistress, exemplifies the complex dynamics of attraction and indifference, captivating men yet resisting the commitments of marriage.
Other significant figures include Susan Nunnery, whose distinct qualities draw Atwater's interest, and Hector Barlow, another artist caught in the uncertainties of romantic choices. Fotheringham, an unsuccessful journalist, yearns for change and escape, while Undershaft, a mysterious character who has sought a more fulfilling life in America, serves as a point of envy and aspiration among the others. The richly drawn cast reflects themes of stagnation, ambition, and the search for identity in a rapidly changing society, ultimately inviting readers to consider the interplay between personal fulfillment and societal expectations.
Afternoon Men: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Anthony Powell
First published: 1931
Genre: Novel
Locale: The Soho area of London, England
Plot: Social satire
Time: The 1920's
William Atwater, the protagonist, a young museum official. He has straw-colored hair, sometimes wears tortoise-shell-rimmed spectacles, and has long, slender legs. His father is a retired civil servant, but he has twice failed to win a Foreign Office post. He is one of the “Bright Young People” of the London Soho district, witty but bored and enervated. He secured his museum position through influence. He spends his evenings in talk, and he drifts from one situation to another.
Raymond Pringle, Atwater's friend, a painter. He is twenty-eight years old, has red hair, and affects a manner of dress that combines a workman's shirt with patent-leather shoes. He lives on a comfortable inheritance, with which he is rather tightfisted. He is a bad painter, but his study in Paris has given his work a certain slickness that allows him occasionally to sell a painting. He has a beach cottage, which is the setting for the novel's climactic scene.
Harriet Twining, Pringle's occasional mistress. She has fair hair and dark skin and is a staple of the London party scene. She attracts men, and many want to marry her immediately. She tires of them, wears them out, or spends all of their money before romance can proceed to the matrimonial stage.
Susan Nunnery, a young woman desired by Atwater. He meets her at a party early in the novel. She has a quality, at least in the protagonist's perceptions, that sets her apart from the other “Bright Young People.” Her large, expressive eyes are her best feature.
Lola, a model and frequent Soho partygoer. The name she bears is her own invention. She looks like an early drawing by Augustus John. She purports to read Bertrand Russell when she requires inspiration.
Hector Barlow, another struggling artist. He is stockily built and has light eyes and black, stubbly hair that grows low onto his forehead. He wears sack-colored clothes and sucks a pipe. He was with Pringle in Paris. He has an assertive nature but is fretting over which of several girls to marry; all the alliances seem equally unlikely.
Fotheringham, an unsuccessful journalist. He is a heavily built, pink-cheeked young man who has had a temporary job for the past five years as subeditor with a spiritualist paper. He is responsible for the advertisement pages. He dislikes spiritualists as a group and complains of how they keep his nose to the grindstone. He longs for a new occupation and especially desires to go to America.
Undershaft, a young man who is a phantom presence in the novel. He has gone to America, thus escaping the pointless life the others are leading in London. For this action, he is variously admired, envied, and blamed. He is rumored to be in New York, prospering as a piano player and living with a woman of indeterminate race.
Naomi Race, a patroness of the arts. No one knows her age or anything about her late husband. She is like the dowager of drawing-room comedy. She has Atwater to dinner about once every two months.
George Nunnery, Susan's father. He is characterized by his daughter as a retired failure, a curious small man with a walrus mustache. He still discusses finance, but his bankruptcy, or something, has left him somewhat vacant.
Verelst, a wealthy Jew. He is dark, with bags under his eyes and a thick nose. He is almost good-looking and almost distinguished-looking. Susan goes off to America with him at the end of the novel.