The Loved and the Lost: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Loved and the Lost: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the complex interrelationships and motivations of key figures within a narrative set in Montreal. Central to the discussion is Jim McAlpine, a former Navy lieutenant commander turned journalist, whose obsession with Peggy Sanderson drives the plot. Peggy, characterized by her youthful appearance and rebellious spirit, defies societal norms by forming relationships with marginalized communities, ultimately leading to her tragic fate. Joseph Carver, the affluent publisher of the Montreal Sun, represents the established elite, whose initial admiration for Jim shifts to confusion as Jim’s actions diverge from Carver’s expectations.
Catherine Carver, Joseph's daughter, grapples with her feelings of loneliness and disappointment in her interactions with Jim, while Chuck Foley serves as a bridge between Jim and the vibrant yet conflicted world of Montreal's jazz scene. The narrative also features characters like Walter Malone and Wolgast, who embody societal tensions and personal conflicts that culminate in Peggy's devastating end. Through these characters, the analysis explores themes of obsession, societal expectations, and the tragic consequences of interpersonal dynamics against a backdrop of racial and social complexities.
The Loved and the Lost: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Morley Callaghan
First published: 1951
Genre: Novel
Locale: Montreal, Canada
Plot: Social
Time: The late 1940's
James McAlpine, a former Navy lieutenant commander and a history professor at the University of Toronto in his early thirties. A magazine article he writes, titled “The Independent Man,” leads Joseph Carver to invite him to Montreal to write a triweekly column for the Sun. In Montreal, the normally pragmatic and conventional Jim comes under the spell of Peggy Sanderson, and his desire to understand, protect, reform, and possess her becomes an obsession that overshadows both his initial attraction to Catherine Carver and his wish to achieve status among Montreal's English-speaking elite. He believes that his final betrayal of Peggy, when he leaves her alone on the night of her greatest crisis, makes him responsible for her murder.
Peggy Sanderson, the daughter of an Ontario United Church minister. Though in her mid-twenties, she looks far younger; she is petite, fair, childlike in appearance, and innocent in demeanor. That seeming innocence is belied by her free-spirited disregard for propriety. In particular, she seeks out friendships with some of Montreal's black jazz musicians in the face of racial and social taboos. Whether she is a slut in search of forbidden excitement or an enlightened humanist transformed by her childhood friendship with the one black family in her town is the mystery that obsesses Jim McAlpine and that earns for Peggy the contempt of whites and the uneasy resentment of blacks. Her flirtation with the forbidden leads inevitably to her rape and murder at the hands of a criminal who could be any one of the many men, white and black, that she both repelled and attracted.
Joseph Carver, the wealthy elderly publisher of the Montreal Sun newspaper. A secure member of Montreal's English elite, Carver enjoys his power and status. Although he professes to admire independent thinking, he attempts to impose his values on his inferiors, both business and social. His initial admiration for Jim McAlpine turns to bewilderment when Jim does not conform.
Catherine Carver, a beautiful, cultivated twenty-seven-year-old divorcee and daughter of Joseph Carver. Admired and envied in her Junior League circle, Catherine is nevertheless unsure and lonely after the breakup of her disastrous, short marriage. Attracted by his seeming strength of character, she falls in love with Jim but is quickly disappointed, recognizing soon that her love is not reciprocated. Identifying Jim as the artist of the unsigned drawing of Peggy that appears in newspaper accounts of her murder, Catherine agrees with her father to contact the police and link Jim with Peggy.
Chuck Foley, an account executive and latent poet in his thirties who introduces Jim to Peggy. The red-haired Foley, separated from his wife, is saved from complete cynicism by his enduring friendship with Jim and his longing to reencounter the idealism of his youth. He introduces Jim to the initially congenial companionship of the Chalet Restaurant bar. He does his best to disillusion Jim about Peggy, without success.
Walter Malone, an embittered middle-aged editorial writer, big, gray-haired, and a drinker. Attracted to Peggy and assuming that her supposed sexual license will extend to him, he tries to make love to her. When she rejects him, he is furious and vengeful. In a jazz club located on St. Antoine Street in Montreal's black district, he tries once again to force himself on her, precipitating a violent melee that involves both blacks and whites and brings all the latent conflict into the open. It is early the next morning that Peggy is raped and murdered, crimes for which Malone has both motive and capability.
Wolgast, a big, bald, immigrant Polish Jew, half owner of the Chalet Restaurant bar. He confides to Jim his dream of achieving a comfortable place in Canadian society. At first protective of Peggy, Wolgast threatens her physically after she brings a black companion into the bar and jeopardizes his bar's standing in the largely white community.
Ron Wilson, a black trumpet player presumed to be Peggy's latest paramour. His marriage is shaky, and both his and his wife's hostility find an outlet in the violence directed at Peggy in the jazz club.
Milton Rogers, a friend of Foley, a photographer, and a jazz aficionado. His enthusiasm for a new jazz singer leads Jim, Foley, and Wolgast to the club where, that night, the climactic brawl occurs.