Children of the Game: Analysis of Major Characters
"Children of the Game" explores the complex relationships and psychological dynamics among its central characters, primarily focusing on siblings Paul and Elisabeth. Paul embodies a sensitive and imaginative spirit, choosing to retreat into a dream-like world shared with his sister, Elisabeth, known as the Room and the Game. This insulated existence is disrupted by the arrival of outsiders, particularly Agatha, a friend of Elisabeth who becomes a rival for Paul’s affections. Elisabeth is fiercely protective of their shared isolation, leading her to take drastic measures to preserve their world, ultimately resulting in tragedy for both herself and Paul.
Other significant characters include Gérard, a friend whose connection to Agatha complicates the sibling dynamics, and Dargelos, a school idol whom Paul admires, embodying his struggles with self-worth and identity. Mariette, the nurturing nurse, provides care for the siblings, while Michael, an American introduced by Elisabeth, represents a final attempt to escape their confined existence. The interplay of love, jealousy, and the desire for connection captures the tension between imagination and reality, revealing the profound impact of their relationships on each character's fate.
Children of the Game: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Jean Cocteau
First published: 1929, as Les Enfants terribles (English translation, 1930)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Paris, France
Plot: Psychological
Time: Early twentieth century
Paul (pohl), a sensitive, imaginative adolescent living insulated from the real world. With his sister Elisabeth, he inhabits the Room, the one material reality of their two lives, and with her plays the Game—a willful withdrawing into the world of the imagination. With the appearance of outsiders, this world is threatened; in the fight to recapture it, Paul is destroyed.
Elisabeth (ay-lee-zah-BEHT), Paul's older sister. Utterly absorbed in her brother and their life together in the dream world of the Room and the Game, she is terrified by, and retaliates against, any threat to their isolation. Finally, in a successful effort to separate Paul from Agatha, whom he loves, she brings about her brother's destruction and her own.
Agatha (ah-gah-TAH), Elisabeth's friend, whose devotion to Paul threatens the dream world of the brother and sister and finally brings about its destruction.
Gérard (zhay-RAHR), a friend of Paul and Elisabeth. He is persuaded by Elisabeth to marry Agatha, whose devotion to Paul threatens Elisabeth's domination of her brother.
Dargelos (dahr-zheh-LOH), the school hero, worshiped by the fragile Paul for his strength and beauty.
Mariette (ma-RHEHT), the nurse who loves and cares for Paul and Elisabeth.
Michael, an American to whom Elisabeth transfers her dream world when her dominance over Paul is threatened. He marries Elisabeth only to be killed a few hours after the wedding.