The Aunt's Story: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Aunt's Story" presents an intricate exploration of its central character, Theodora Goodman, a middle-aged woman whose life has been shaped by her contentious relationship with her mother and her desire for independence. After the death of her mother, Theodora embarks on a journey that takes her through pre-World War II Europe and the United States, seeking to redefine her identity. Theodora is portrayed as unconventional, often struggling with her femininity and societal expectations, which isolates her from others, particularly men.
The narrative features a range of supporting characters, each contributing to Theodora's complex inner world. Her brother-in-law Frank is depicted as well-meaning yet dull, while her sister Fanny embodies materialism, contrasting starkly with Theodora's depth. Theodora's relationship with her sensitive niece Lou is a focal point, revealing the bond between the two women who share similar perspectives. As Theodora interacts with other eccentric hotel guests, including the enigmatic Holstius, her grip on reality begins to falter, leading to a disintegration of her self-identity. Ultimately, she confronts her fragmented psyche and is taken to an asylum, marking a poignant culmination of her struggle for self-acceptance and understanding amid societal pressures.
The Aunt's Story: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Patrick White
First published: 1948
Genre: Novel
Locale: Meroë, near Sydney, Australia; the French Riviera; and the United States
Plot: Psychological symbolism
Time: c. 1900–1940
Theodora Goodman, an unmarried woman in her forties. Theodora has devoted much of her adult life to caring for her difficult, antagonistic mother. Once old Mrs. Goodman dies, Theodora decides to travel. She journeys first to pre-World War II Europe and then to America. Before leaving, she recounts the story of her youth to her young niece and soulmate, Lou Parrott. Theodora was decidedly unfeminine as a girl, all bones and angles. She would say startling things and preferred going hunting with her beloved father to practicing the piano. Although clever and perceptive, Theodora has few friends; men in particular are repulsed by her. Except for occasional illuminating encounters with fellow individualists such as Moraïtis, Theodora has led a quiet life with her domineering mother. Following her tour through the Old World, Theodora lingers at the Hôtel du Midi, where her own fragile identity and grip on reality start to unravel as she comes into contact with other eccentric guests. For one (a Russian general), she takes on the role of his deceased sister Ludmilla. Theodora becomes increasingly confused, and as her sense of self begins to disintegrate, the other characters come to seem merely projections of her fervid imagination. Tensions mount in the hotel, and it self-combusts; Theodora escapes and resurfaces in the New World. She rides a train across the United States and gradually divests herself of all of her worldly possessions. It is only once she encounters Holstius that the healing process begins: He speaks to Theodora's higher self, helping her to gather the pieces of her fractured spirit. Like the characters in the hotel, Holstius seems not to exist except in Theodora's imagination. Eventually, she is taken away to an asylum by concerned, well-meaning people.
Frank Parrott, Theodora's brother-in-law, a beefy and inarticulate man. He and Theodora were good friends at one time.
Fanny Parrott, Theodora's younger sister. Married to Frank and mother to Lou, Fanny is vapid and materialistic.
Lou Parrott, Theodora's only niece. Young Lou is clever and sensitive like her aunt; they see things the same way. The one thing Theodora prizes above all is her relationship with her niece.
George Goodman, the father to Theodora and Fanny, and husband to Julia Goodman. George is a well-meaning, kind, and educated man who is naïve when it comes to financial matters. He sells off his estate bit by bit in order to satisfy his wife's desire to travel to exotic places. He understands and loves Theodora and encourages her individualism.
Julia Goodman, the mother of Theodora and Fanny. Julia prefers her plump, rosy daughter Fanny to her plain, difficult, older girl. A vain and selfish woman, Mrs. Goodman dominates her eldest daughter throughout their lives.
Moraïtis (moh-ri-ih-tihs), a visiting Greek cellist. A small, dark, sad man, he also sees beyond the superficial and conventional in life. He and Theodora recognize each other at once as kindred spirits. Although unmusical herself, Theodora attends one of Moraitis' recitals and emerges profoundly moved by his music.
Huntly Clarkson, a dilettante friend of Theodora. Huntly is a social somebody, a refined, well-to-do bachelor who collects art for its value and people for their idiosyncrasies. Although frequently repulsed by shabby, abrupt Theodora, Huntly cultivates her as a friend because she has a knack for cutting through social hypocrisy.
General Alyosha Sergei Sokolnikov, Elsie Rapallo, and Katina Pavlou, respectively a retired Russian military man, a wealthy American, and a young girl, all fellow guests at the Hôtel du Midi. There is some doubt that these characters are who they say they are: Throughout their stay in the hotel, each antagonizes and argues with the others, hurling accusations about others' identities. Theodora becomes the general's confidante, but she also plays friend to Mrs. Rapallo and aunt to Katina. These characters appear only in the second section of the novel. They say and do remarkable things throughout, but their speech and actions (like Theodora's) become increasingly disjointed and bizarre.
Holstius, a treelike man with whom Theodora communes in the third section of the novel. They encounter each other in an abandoned shack in the middle of nowhere in the United States. Theodora, having shed all traces of her former identity, looks to Holstius to help her reconcile and reunite the disparate halves of being such as joy and sorrow, illusion and reality, and life and death. He advises her simply to accept the whole and to love elementary things such as chairs and tables. Despite Theodora's perception of Holstius as real, his presence goes undetected by others, who in turn apprehend Theodora for seeing him.