Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul: Analysis of Major Characters
"Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul" is a novel that follows the life of Arthur Kipps, a man whose journey is shaped by both his humble beginnings and sudden wealth. Raised by an aunt and uncle after a bleak childhood, Kipps serves as an apprentice in a draper's shop and later inherits a substantial legacy from his estranged grandfather. This shift in fortune leads Kipps into a world of social expectations and complex relationships, particularly with two significant women: Ann Pornick, his childhood sweetheart who later becomes his wife, and Helen Walsingham, a woman he becomes engaged to due to his newfound wealth.
Kipps' experience reflects themes of social class, identity, and the struggle for authenticity in the face of external pressures. While Helen tries to reshape Kipps into a figure of higher social standing, it is ultimately his connection to Ann and the desire for a simpler life that brings him true happiness. The supporting characters, such as Mr. Chitterlow, a friend and aspiring playwright, and Pornick, Ann's brother, further complicate Kipps' understanding of wealth and personal fulfillment. Ultimately, "Kipps" presents a reflective exploration of self-discovery and the pursuit of a life aligned with one's true values amidst societal expectations.
Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: H. G. Wells
First published: 1905
Genre: Novel
Locale: England
Plot: Domestic
Time: Early twentieth century
Arthur Kipps, a simple soul who knows that there was something mysterious about his birth. Reared by an aunt and uncle, he spends a bleak childhood. After seven years of apprenticeship to a draper, he is given a position in the firm at twenty pounds a year. As a boy, he falls in love with Ann Pornick, a poor girl who goes into domestic service; later, he is enamored of a lady who teaches woodcarving in a class he attends for self-improvement. His life is radically changed when he is left a legacy of a handsome house and twelve hundred pounds a year by his paternal grandfather, who relented before his death, though he had forbidden his son to marry Kipps' mother. At once, the bewildered Kipps is petitioned by everyone for money. He buys an interest in a friend's play and is maneuvered into becoming engaged to the woodcarving teacher, who tries to change him completely and gets him to give her brother control of his money. Kipps meets his childhood sweetheart again and begins to yearn for a simpler life. They marry, and his wife is at first made unhappy by their pretentions to grandeur. His former fiancée's brother loses most of his money, however, and Kipps' now comfortable but necessarily simple life is thoroughly happy. Even after he becomes almost as rich as before with the success of his friend's play, he continues to live simply and happily.
Ann Pornick, Kipps' first love and later his wife. Seeing her as a servant in a house where he is a guest, Kipps proposes; in spite of her apprehension over the difference in their social positions, she accepts.
Helen Walsingham, a lady of whom Kipps becomes enamored. Engaged to him after his acquisition of wealth, she attempts to change his speech, dress, manners, and attitudes. Grateful at first, he becomes gloomy. Her solicitor brother speculates with Kipps' money and loses most of it.
Mr. Chitterlow, Kipps' friend, a would-be playwright. Because of Chitterlow's influence, Kipps gets drunk and stays out all night, for which he loses his job; shortly afterward, however, Kipps gets his fortune. He buys a quarter interest in Chitterlow's play, which later restores his fortune almost to its original amount.
Pornick, Ann's brother. A socialist, he is both contemptuous and jealous of Kipps'new wealth, and so he does not tell Ann of Kipps' fortune. Therefore, when Ann first sees Kipps again, her naturalness and simplicity make him yearn for the old, uncomplicated life.