The History of Mr. Polly: Analysis of Major Characters
"The History of Mr. Polly" is a novel that explores the life of Mr. Alfred Polly, a sensitive and imaginative petty tradesman who grapples with dissatisfaction and a sense of entrapment in his mundane existence. The story is narrated by an anonymous, humorous voice reminiscent of Dickens, who adds a lighthearted commentary to Mr. Polly's struggles. Mr. Polly's journey begins as he inherits money from his father and opens a shop, only to find his dreams stifled by his unremarkable marriage to Mrs. Miriam Polly, a character marked by her dullness and poor domestic skills.
Key characters include the Plump Woman, the warmhearted innkeeper who becomes a source of inspiration for Mr. Polly, and Uncle Jim, a comically villainous figure who poses a threat to her. The narrative also features various relatives and friends, including Mrs. Polly's family members, who contribute to the social backdrop of Mr. Polly's life. Through his comedic misadventures and internal conflicts, Mr. Polly ultimately seeks liberation from his dissatisfaction, leading to humorous and engaging encounters with those around him. The interplay between these characters reflects themes of aspiration, identity, and the quest for personal fulfillment in a seemingly ordinary life.
The History of Mr. Polly: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: H. G. Wells
First published: 1910
Genre: Novel
Locale: England
Plot: Love
Time: Early twentieth century
The Historian, an anonymous first-person narrator, brisk, pleasantly jocular, and rather Dickensian. Although he has no part in the action, he provides humorous commentary on it.
Mr. Alfred Polly, a sensitive, dyspeptic petty tradesman, given to romantic dreams, mispronunciation, and pungent phrases. After starting as a draper's assistant, he was left some money by his father, and acquired a shop and a wife. Fifteen years later, Mr. Polly is bald and chubby, and imagination and good will have been stifled by his neighbors and his wife. He bungles a suicide attempt but unexpectedly becomes a hero when he saves an old woman from the fire he has started. A short time later, he runs away. He wanders until he finds a wayside inn kept by a plump woman who is threatened by her worthless nephew, called Uncle Jim. Mr. Polly shows his pluck by standing up, rather quakingly, to Jim and defeating him in a series of comic fights. Five years later, he returns home, finds himself unneeded, and goes back to the inn for good.
Mrs. Miriam Polly, his dowdy, unimaginative wife, a poor housekeeper and a worse cook, whom Mr. Polly married on the rebound from an abortive romance. Under the illusion that she would be tidy and affectionate, he soon learns otherwise. After he disappears and his supposed corpse is found, she and her sister start a tea shop with the insurance money. She is horrified when her husband returns to the village and is glad to see him go away again.
The Plump Woman, the proprietress of the Potwell Inn, a warm, easy-going, motherly person. Mr. Polly immediately likes her and takes a job as a handyman at the inn. She gives him permission to leave when Uncle Jim shows up, but the devotion she inspires induces Mr. Polly to defend her.
Uncle Jim, a short, tough, mean ex-convict. A comic villain, he teaches the plump woman's granddaughter to swear. He goes after Mr. Polly with beer bottles, an axe, and a gun, but he complains that Mr. Polly does not fight fair when he finds himself dumped in the river. Eventually he runs off, drowns, and gets mistaken for Mr. Polly.
Polly, the plump woman's granddaughter, a sprightly nine-year-old who at first worships Uncle Jim and then comes to admire Mr. Polly.
Aunt Larkins, the mother of Mrs. Polly. She misrepresents her daughters and cries vulgarly at the wedding.
Annie Larkins, her daughter and Mrs. Polly's sister. One of Mr. Polly's kissing cousins, she enjoys vigorous embraces and laughs loudly at all his jokes. Then, as a middle-aged frump, she becomes Miriam's partner in the tea shop venture.
Minnie Larkins, another sister of Miriam. Though ill-bred and common, she almost won Mr. Polly for a husband.
Christabel, a coy, pretty schoolgirl, Mr. Polly's only romantic interest. For ten days he courts her as she sits on the schoolyard wall, but at last her teen-age schoolmates giggle and she runs off, shattering Mr. Polly's dream.
Parsons, Mr. Polly's best friend when he was a draper's assistant. Chubby, imaginative, a lover of poetry, Parsons gets in a battle with the store manager over a window display, is fired, and leaves.
Platt, the third member of the Parsons, Polly, Platt trio, also a clerk.
Mr. Howard Johnson, the cousin who puts Mr. Polly up for a while, urges him to buy a shop, and becomes sullen at the loss of rent when Mr. Polly marries.
Mrs. Johnson, his optimistic, vulgar wife.
Mr. Garvace, the store manager who fired Parsons.
Rusper, a shopkeeper, ignorant but with pretense to knowledge, whose quarrel with middle-aged Mr. Polly ends in a law court.
Rumbold, another obnoxious, mulish neighbor.
Mrs. Rumbold, his mother, the old woman Mr. Polly saves in a fire.
Hicks, a grumpy, gossipy, low-bred neighbor.
Mr. Voules, a fat, stupid man who takes charge of Mr. Polly's wedding.
Uncle Pentstemon, an old, crotchety, offensive relative.
Mrs. Amy Punt, another odious relative.