Illywhacker: Analysis of Major Characters
"Illywhacker: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the intricate lives of several key figures in a narrative that explores themes of deception, familial ties, and the pursuit of personal fulfillment. Central to the story is Herbert Badgery, a retired con artist and storyteller who, at 139 years old, reflects on his tumultuous past, marked by a colorful array of life experiences including his time in prison and his complex family dynamics. Herbert's son, Charles Badgery, embodies the challenges of living in the shadow of his father's legacy while navigating his own struggles as a successful pet store owner with a gift for handling wild animals.
The narrative also features Leah Goldstein, Herbert's occasional lover, whose journey through love and personal ambition reveals the societal challenges faced by women of her era. Phoebe McGrath, Herbert's legally ambiguous wife, pursues her dreams of becoming a poet, highlighting the tensions between domestic life and artistic aspirations. Izzie Kaletsky, Leah's husband, adds a political dimension to the story, grappling with his own physical and ideological battles. Finally, Emma Badgery, Charles's wife, represents the struggles of mental health and the complexities of love within a family. Together, these characters create a rich tapestry that explores the human condition through their interwoven stories of desire, failure, and resilience.
Illywhacker: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Peter Carey
First published: 1985
Genre: Novel
Locale: Victoria and New South Wales, Australia
Plot: Picaresque
Time: The late 1800's to the late 1900's
Herbert Badgery, a retired former freelance flier, crack car salesman, entertainer, and confidence man; he is also a convict and a lifetime liar. He claims to have possessed the ability, in his late youth and early manhood, to make himself disappear. In his old age, he is something of a celebrity, claiming to be 139 years old at the time that he tells this tall tale of his life and that of his family, friends, and enemies. He is very bright, having learned to read in his middle age and obtained a college degree by correspondence while in prison; he is intellectually lively despite his age. Severely bandy-legged and only modestly attractive in his prime, he is possessed of brilliant sapphire-blue eyes that do not dim with age, and he has been a passionate lover and loser of women. Interesting in himself, he is well able to spin the tale of his adventures, of trying to make a living through the hard times of the first half of the twentieth century, but his story does not stop there. He has a very peculiar family and is determined to give them full play as they comically and sometimes tragically work out their lives, often hindered by the influence of the rogue parent, Herbert Badgery himself, who has an instinct for putting many feet wrong, an enormous zest for celebrating his errors, and a wicked eye for the follies not only of his own making but also of humankind in general.
Charles Badgery, Herbert's son, the proprietor of the largest pet store in the world, located in Sydney but doing business worldwide. He is physically plain and awkward, as well as deaf in one ear as the result of a parental disciplinary blow from Herbert. Charles leaves home while still in his late teens. He possesses an uncanny gift for capturing and handling wild animals, particularly dangerous snakes. He builds a major business with little capital, only to fall under American financial influence and then under Japanese control. All he wants is his father's approval and his wife's love.
Leah Goldstein, the occasional lover of Herbert. A pretty woman who keeps her physical attractions into middle age, she is the daughter of a Jewish father and a Scottish mother. She starts to study medicine but gets involved with Izzie Kaletsky, the workingman's champion, and marries him, more out of pity than out of love. During the Great Depression of the 1930's, she becomes an exotic dancer, often using snakes, and works for a time in an act with Herbert, living with him and helping him to bring up his children. People constantly call on her for help. She never loses her affection for Herbert, although they are often separated.
Phoebe McGrath, Herbert's wife, but not legally so because he, unknown to Phoebe, was married to another woman at the time of their supposed marriage. Brown-eyed, redheaded, and long-legged, she has an ecstatic sexual beginning to her life with Herbert, but she has literary ambitions, and after bearing two children, she leaves the children and Herbert to try her chances as a poet. Charles supports her financially in her unsuccessful attempts to become a poet of reputation.
Izzie Kaletsky, a Marxist labor writer and agitator, born in Australia of Russian Jewish immigrant parents. He is a small man with dark, curly hair and a pretty face, but he is not physically attractive to Leah, who marries him despite her sexual indifference to him. He proves to be a political orator of surprising power. He loses both of his legs in a railway accident while confronting a company “goon” squad, and for a time Leah takes care of him. She is never able to love him.
Emma Badgery, formerly Emma Underhill, a wide-hipped, broad-chested, innocent schoolteacher whom Charles marries. She is so afraid of losing Charles that she spends much of her time in one of the cages in his shop, partially pretending to be as helpless as the animals he cares for. Charles is besotted with her, but her refusal to live a normal life and her forceful determination to avoid psychiatric help make her a constant problem for everyone.