Cakes and Ale: Analysis of Major Characters
"Cakes and Ale: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the intricate relationships and personal histories of key figures surrounding the eminent Victorian author Edward Driffield. Central to the narrative is Ashenden, a writer who reflects on his past connections with Driffield and his first wife, Rosie. Their complex relationship is marked by romantic entanglements, as Ashenden becomes Rosie's lover following her tumultuous marriage to Driffield, who ultimately divorces her after she leaves him for another man, George Kemp. Rosie, portrayed as a vibrant and passionate character, finds herself torn between her affections for Ashenden and Kemp, ultimately choosing to elope with Kemp to New York. Driffield's character is molded by the betrayals he faces, including Rosie’s infidelity and eventual departure. The dynamic between Ashenden, Rosie, and Driffield creates a tapestry of love, loss, and societal expectations, with Amy, Driffield's nurse, later stepping into the role of his second wife. This analysis provides a nuanced look at how personal relationships shape the lives and legacies of these characters, inviting readers to reflect on themes of fidelity, ambition, and the complexities of human connection within the context of Victorian society.
Cakes and Ale: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: W. Somerset Maugham
First published: 1930
Genre: Novel
Locale: London and Kent, England
Plot: Social satire
Time: Early twentieth century
Ashenden, a writer who is asked by Alroy Kear, another writer and a friend, to contribute his reminiscences of the younger days of still another writer, Edward Driffield, about whom Kear is planning to write a biography. Ashenden was a friend of Driffield and his first wife when they lived in the Kentish town where Ashenden lived, as a boy, with his uncle. Ashenden met the Driffields again in London when he was a medical student and became Driffield's wife's lover. Driffield's wife, Rosie, ran off with another man, however, and Driffield divorced her. Ashenden was hurt that she would run away with someone else.
Alroy Kear, a novelist who is writing the official biography of an eminent Victorian author, Edward Driffield. He invites his friend Ashenden to lunch in order to get Ashenden's impressions of Driffield in his younger days. Kear is not satisfied with Ashenden's material, since it would tend to embarrass Driffield's widow.
Rosie Driffield, Edward Driffield's first wife, a former bar-maid. She had a great love of life and could not deny love to anyone. Ashenden became her lover, and for a time she visited his rooms regularly, but her great love was George Kemp. When she ran away with him to New York, Driffield divorced her. Years later Ashenden saw her again, a wealthy widow in New York. She confided that of all her lovers Kemp had been her favorite because he was always the perfect gentleman.
Edward Driffield, a famous English writer of the Victorian era. When Rosie ran away, he divorced her and married his nurse.
George Kemp, a contractor with whom Rosie was unfaithful to Driffield and with whom she finally ran away. She went with him to New York, and they were married.
Amy Driffield, Driffield's nurse during his convalescence from pneumonia. She became his second wife.