The Bracknels: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Bracknels: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the dynamics and complexities within the Bracknel family, highlighting their individual traits and struggles. At the center is Mr. Bracknel, an Irish businessman whose authoritarian nature leads to a tumultuous family environment. His disappointment in his wife, Mrs. Bracknel, and his two sons—Alfred, who shuns responsibility for pleasure, and the troubled Denis, who ultimately takes his own life—paints a picture of familial discord. The daughters, May and Amy, represent contrasting approaches to life; May is often seen as the more stable sibling, while Amy's infatuation with young men adds to the family's turmoil. Hubert Rusk, Denis's tutor, serves as a figure caught in the emotional upheaval, struggling to maintain his own well-being while caring for Denis. This character-driven analysis provides insights into themes of mental health, familial expectations, and the quest for personal identity within the Bracknel household. The portrayal of these characters invites reflection on the broader human experience, emphasizing the impacts of individual choices on family dynamics.
The Bracknels: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Forrest Reid
First published: 1911
Genre: Novel
Locale: Ireland
Plot: Domestic
Time: Early twentieth century
Mr. Bracknel, an Irish businessman who prides himself on his practicality. He is a tyrannical husband and father, although he believes his family defies him only to displease him. He is disappointed in his wife because she is sickly, in his son Denis because he thinks the boy mad. He also tries to keep his daughters from meeting young men. He dies of a heart attack brought on by an argument with his eldest son, Alfred, a ne'er-do-well.
Mrs. Bracknel, a sickly woman who seems much older than her forty-six years.
Alfred Bracknel, the eldest son, who has a job in his father's business but prefers to devote himself to pleasure. Though he is incompetent, he inherits his father's business, a fact that makes him glad of his father's death.
Denis Bracknel, seventeen years old. He is interested in the mystical and occult. He finds the world too much to bear and commits suicide beside a pagan altar he discovers near his home.
May Bracknel, a healthy, normal person, the eldest of the Bracknel daughters.
Amy Bracknel, a man-crazy, sensual girl who is infatuated with Hubert Rusk. She annoys the tutor, who is oblivious to her, by disturbing his charge's lessons. She even tries to announce her engagement to Mr. Rusk.
Hubert Rusk, Denis Bracknel's tutor, an easy and affable young man hired because he can understand Denis' mental condition. He comes to fear that the boy's mental aberrations are bad for his own mental health, but he stays on the job, in deference to the wishes of the Bracknels'doctor, until the boy commits suicide.