Casuals of the Sea: Analysis of Major Characters
"Casuals of the Sea: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the lives and complexities of a working-class family and their connections in a maritime setting. Central to the narrative is Bert Gooderich, a machinist whose accidental drowning sets off a chain of events affecting his family. His wife, Mary, reflects on her past as she navigates her gratitude for her marriage after being abandoned by a former lover. Their sons, Young Bert and Hannibal, represent different paths of ambition and struggle, with Young Bert aspiring to soldierhood and tragically losing his life in battle, while Hannibal faces hardships as he transitions through various labor roles before succumbing to illness.
Minnie, their daughter, embodies resilience and defiance; her relationships and activities, including her involvement in suffragette activism and her eventual marriage to Captain Briscoe, depict the changing roles of women during this era. The story is further enriched by supporting characters like Nellie, Hannibal's wife, who provides a touch of lightness, and Mrs. Gaynor, the American neighbor, adding layers of cultural interaction. Additionally, the portrayal of characters like the self-serving Mrs. Wilfley highlights themes of community and exploitation. Overall, the analysis delves into the challenges and dynamics faced by each character, offering insight into their intertwined lives within the broader social context.
Casuals of the Sea: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: William McFee
First published: 1916
Genre: Novel
Locale: England
Plot: Domestic realism
Time: Early twentieth century
Bert Gooderich, a stolid machinist who falls off a bridge and is drowned.
Mary, his wife, thankful to marry Bert after having been deserted by her lover, a baker's boy, the father of Minnie.
Young Bert, their son, big, strong, and pugnacious, with an ambition to be a soldier. Shortly after his enlistment, he is killed at Pretoria.
Hannibal, another son, a big, inarticulate, bungling lout who becomes a factory worker, a ship's mess boy, and finally a trimmer on the S.S. Cyaryatid. He dies of pneumonia caused partly by inhalation of coal dust and partly by the cough syrup for which Minnie had written advertisements.
Minnie, Mary's daughter, a stubborn, difficult girl, thin and reserved, engaged for a time to a coal clerk. She becomes Captain Briscoe's mistress, later his wife. She is jailed for engaging in a suffragette demonstration. She is also a writer of advertisements for cough syrup.
Captain Briscoe, a ship's captain, Minnie's lover and later her husband.
Nellie, Hannibal's wife, a plump, merry girl. She works in her uncle's tavern and later manages it.
Mrs. Gaynor, an American woman, next-door neighbor of the Gooderich family.
Hiram, her son, a sailor.
Mrs. Wilfley, a greedy woman who organizes a benefit musicale for the Gooderich family and pockets most of the receipts.
Anthony Gilfillan, a middle-aged man who befriends Minnie at a party and later takes her to the Continent with him.