The Debut: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Debut: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the intricate lives and relationships of the Weiss family and their acquaintances, showcasing a blend of personal struggles and societal expectations in a transitional cultural landscape between the 19th and 20th centuries. Central to the narrative is Ruth Weiss, a 40-year-old scholar grappling with her identity and the impact of her literary passions on her life. Her tumultuous relationships with her father, George Weiss, a gregarious rare book dealer, and her mother, Helen Weiss, an actress preoccupied with her own fame, reveal a family dynamic marked by infidelity and emotional detachment.
Supporting characters like Miss Parker, who inspires Ruth academically, and Richard Hirst, whose carefree attitude towards life contrasts sharply with Ruth's introspection, further enrich the exploration of ambition and personal fulfillment. The text also introduces figures such as Professor Duplessis and Sally Jacobs, illustrating how their interactions shape Ruth's understanding of love, loss, and societal roles. Through these character analyses, the work examines themes of independence, moral choices, and the complexities of human connection, making it a compelling study for those interested in character-driven narratives and their broader implications in a changing world.
The Debut: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Anita Brookner
First published: 1981, in Great Britain as A Start in Life (U.S. edition, 1981)
Genre: Novel
Locale: London, England, and Paris, France
Plot: Ironic
Time: The 1970's
Ruth Weiss, a scholar who is writing a multivolume study on the women in Honoré de Balzac's novels and teaching a literature seminar. Caught in appearance and character halfway between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, forty-year-old Ruth has beautiful long red hair (often worn in a classical chignon) and a slight hesitation in her walk. Scrupulous, passionate, thoughtful, and introspective, she is extreme in everything and feels that her life has been ruined by literature. As the novel opens, Ruth is living alone and seeing her publisher once every six months for dinner. The novel recounts her past: her irregular home life with her parents and grandmother, her growing scholarly interests, and her romantic encounters in London and Paris, especially with Richard Hirst and Professor Duplessis. Her ultimate conviction is that moral fortitude is not enough to succeed in life; it is better, and easier, to be engaging and attractive.
George Weiss, a dealer in rare books. Gregarious, affable, and inaccessible to his daughter Ruth, George is glossy, cheery, and a bit of a dandy; he wears smart tweed suits, uses a cigarette holder, and sports a ready smile. In truth, he is somewhat unhappy, with vaguely unrealized dreams. He adores his wife yet is unfaithful to her with his assistant Miss Moss and then with the widowed Sally Jacobs. After his wife learns of the affair with Jacobs, George has a stroke and is nursed back to health by Ruth.
Helen Weiss, an actress. Beautiful, successful, and thin even into middle age, Helen is girlish and outrageous, not interested in being a mother to Ruth. When she is not working, Helen spends most of her time in bed, smoking and talking with Maggie Cutler and becoming increasingly listless. After the discovery of George's latest affair, Helen refuses to stay under the same roof with him; she dies in a taxi with Ruth on the return from an abortive trip to Molly Edwards' house.
Mrs. Weiss, the aging grandmother of Ruth and mother of George. Aware of the irresponsibility of her son and his wife, Mrs. Weiss tries to maintain a normal household for Ruth. She dies after a stroke and three months of being bed-ridden.
Mrs. Maggie Cutler, the spry, chain-smoking, sloppy housekeeper for the Weisses who becomes Helen's confidant. Maggie finds a husband through a matchmaking agency and leaves Oakwood Court for his company in Folkestone. The Weisses, especially Helen, are outraged at her behavior.
Miss Parker, a teacher. She is one of the first people to take an interest in Ruth. She encourages her to go to university and be a scholar.
Anthea, a college friend of Ruth. Beautiful and popular, An-thea needs Ruth for an acolyte. Anthea's concerns are boys and her appearance. She schools Ruth in these subjects, appalled at her ignorance, and encourages her to move away from her parents. Later, Anthea makes a conventional marriage with Brian and becomes a housewife and mother.
Richard Hirst, a psychologist. With unblemished blond good looks and many charms, Richard attracts women of all kinds. Eager for crises, Richard is blissfully unaware of obligations. He treats a dinner invitation from Ruth with casual nonchalance, arriving hours late, oblivious of her hunger and her feelings.
Mrs. Sally Jacobs, a woman who buys George's rare book shop when he retires. A widow who loves to cook for men, Sally tolerates George's disruption of her orderly flat and thinks she wants him to marry her. When Helen dies, however, Mrs. Jacobs retreats to her sister's house in Manchester and leaves her flat to her nephew Roddy.
Professor Alain Duplessis (doo-pleh-si), a middle-aged, married, and rather heavy professor at the Sorbonne who is somewhat famous. Professor Duplessis makes friends with Ruth in Paris. The friendship promises to turn more romantic when Ruth rents the Dixons' flat and invites him to dinner, but it ends when Ruth is called back to London to care for her ailing parents.
Hugh Dixon, an art dealer in Paris who befriends Ruth and gives her advice about cutting her hair and buying more fashionable clothes.
Jill Dixon, a travel agent and Hugh's wife. Jill tolerates his friendship with Ruth because she does not consider Ruth a threat and because she takes a lover herself.
Molly Edwards, a Christian Scientist and a particular friend of Helen Weiss. The Weisses spend their last vacation together with Molly at her place at Hove.
Humphrey Wilcox, a writer and friend of George Weiss. Ruth's landlord at her first place in Paris, Humphrey spies on her when she takes her daily bath.
Rhoda Wilcox, Humphrey's wife. She is dedicated to keeping things quiet so that her husband can write.
Roddy Jacobs, a rare book dealer who succeeds his aunt at the shop formerly run by George Weiss. Plump and conventional, he gets along so well with George after Sally Jacobs' departure to Manchester that Ruth agrees to marry him. Only six months later, Roddy is killed in a car accident.