A Dream Journey: Analysis of Major Characters
"A Dream Journey: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the lives of several interconnected figures, primarily focusing on Clem Stevens, a fifty-six-year-old unsuccessful artist living with his partner Lena in a deteriorating London house. The narrative explores Clem's struggles with artistic failure, heavy drinking, and intense fear of abandonment, particularly from Lena, who has remained loyal despite her growing pity for his listlessness. Lena, now sixty and battling health issues, reflects on their relationship after Clem's untimely death, revealing her weariness with his dependency. Other pivotal characters include Ivor Cruickshank, a former art gallery owner who once supported Clem but later discourages him, and Celia "Cis" Downes, a former model whose brief encounter with Clem and Lena adds to the story's complexity. Richard Jones, an air raid warden, and Ephraim Johns, a haunted sailor, provide additional layers of interaction during the wartime setting. The dynamics among these characters reveal themes of loyalty, disappointment, and the impact of war on personal relationships, offering insight into their shared struggles within a changing world.
A Dream Journey: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: James Hanley
First published: 1976
Genre: Novel
Locale: Chelsea and other parts of London
Plot: Social realism
Time: c. 1950, in retrospect 1940–1950
Clement (Clem) Stevens, an unsuccessful, fifty-six-year-old artist from the provinces. He lives with Lena in Chelsea, London, five floors up in a once-elegant house, now due for demolition. He and Lena lived there through World War II. Paralyzed by inertia and without contact with the outside world, he spends his days with his rejected paintings, never leaving the house and drinking and smoking heavily, continually reading, fearing that Lena will leave him. He is in poor health. The turning point in his life seems to have been the loss of a canvas during an air raid in the war, when the house was full of occupants. After once venturing out of the house, he dies when an oil stove explodes. The police suspect that he was trying to burn his paintings.
Lena Stevens, a tall woman, aged sixty, with a severe expression and large hands. She uses Clem's surname. She has been Clem's loyal companion for the ten years since they moved into their flat, at the beginning of the war. At first, she believed in Clem's ability, but now she pities his failure and is wearied by his listlessness and helpless dependence. She remains loyal and prepares his meals. Her remaining pleasure consists of shopping expeditions by bus to the distant area of London where they first met. The onset of her breast cancer already was apparent during the war years. After Clem's death, she analyzes the weaknesses that kept them together.
Ivor Cruickshank, a seventy-year-old man of no occupation. Slight in build, dapper, and wearing a goatee, he once was the owner of an art gallery. He bought two paintings from Clem, but his disapproval of certain paintings of an old woman discouraged Clem. Years later, after Clem's death, he visits Lena, whom he has forgotten. He is unlikely to return.
Celia “Cis” Downes, a pretty former model from Bermondsey who tries to call on Clem early in the war and is sent off by Lena. Before leaving, she meets a drunken sailor, steals a painting of herself, and is sick during an air raid.
Richard Jones, an air raid warden in World War II, when he and his wife, Gwyn, occupied a flat in the same house as Clem and Lena. He is very conscientious, and it is he who offers refuge to the drunken sailor and looks after the elderly Frasers. He hears Lena talking to the former model and Clem pacing the floor.
Ephraim Johns, a drunken sailor given refuge by Jones. He is haunted by dreams of ice, having been bombed at sea. He meets Celia in the owners' unoccupied flat and later is killed in an air raid.
Robinson, a man in the Royal Air Force. During the war, he lived in the flat below the Stevenses. On leave, he kept the flat noisy with South American music, drank gin, and took benzedrine. After the war, Lena briefly meets him; he is now gatekeeper at a dog racetrack.
Mrs. Cis Grimpen, the wife of the caretaker who moved in after the war. Tall and stout, it is she who, well-intentioned and interfering, brings to Cruickshank news of Clem's death.
Mr. Grimpen, a tall, heavily built man in his mid-forties. The caretaker after the war of the once-splendid house, he notes the eccentric habits of the Stevenses, the only other occupants.