The Man Who Loved Children: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Man Who Loved Children" features a complex cast of characters, primarily centered around the Pollit family. Samuel Clemens (Sam) Pollit, the patriarch, is portrayed as a bureaucrat with a moralistic view of the world, often prioritizing his desire for companionship with children over the well-being of his family. His second wife, Henrietta (Henny) Pollit, struggles under the weight of his expectations, leading her to emotional and physical exhaustion, culminating in her tragic demise. Their daughter, Louisa, is depicted as a bright yet burdened child, caught between her father's harshness and her stepmother's disdain, ultimately seeking escape from her oppressive home life. Meanwhile, Henrietta's son, Ernest (Ernie), reveals a shrewd nature focused on material wealth, while the youngest Pollit, Tommy, represents innocence amidst the family's turmoil. The narrative also introduces key supporting figures, like Bert Anderson, Henrietta's lover whose abandonment contributes to her despair, and Miss Aiden, a teacher who inspires Louisa to aspire for a better life. Together, these characters illustrate a deeply troubled family dynamic, marked by unfulfilled desires and emotional strife.
The Man Who Loved Children: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Christina Stead
First published: 1940
Genre: Novel
Locale: Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Annapolis, Harpers Ferry, and Singapore
Plot: Family
Time: 1936–1940
Samuel Clemens (Sam) Pollit, a husband and father. A man in his late thirties or early forties, he is a bureaucrat by profession and a moralist by nature. His real interest is in having children and playing with them. Whatever happens to him, from losing his job to losing his wife, Sam takes it as one more proof of the world's persecution of moral superiority. At the end of the novel, he has learned nothing: He will continue to wear out women and children in his service.
Henrietta Collyer (Henny) Pollit, Sam's second wife. A tall, slender society girl when she married Sam, she has been driven to physical and emotional exhaustion by his demands for sexual gratification and regular production of babies. She is filled with hatred: hatred of her husband, of her stepdaughter, of the rundown house in Baltimore to which he eventually moves her, and of her debt-burdened life. After she has been spurned by her lover, she drinks poison and dies.
Louisa (Louie, Looloo) Pollit, Sam's daughter by his first wife. At the beginning of the novel, she is a large, fat, and clumsy eleven-year-old. Mocked and teased by her father, as well as criticized and insulted by the stepmother whom she loves, Louisa is saddled with much of the housework. Because she is talented and bright, it is clear that if she leaves home Louisa can succeed. Her father, however, says that he will never let her go. After planning to kill her parents and actually mixing the poison for Henrietta, Louisa runs away from home.
Ernest (Ernie) Pollit, Henrietta's oldest son. A shrewd, quiet boy who is ten years old at the beginning of the novel, he is very close to his mother. Ernie loves money above all other things. When he discovers that Henrietta has stolen his savings, he is brokenhearted, and he hangs a representation of himself. Still determined to make money, he plans to leave school to do so.
Evelyn (Evie, Little Womey) Pollit, the only daughter of Sam and Henrietta. A good, happy, and obedient child, she is destined to be a beauty like her mother. When the novel ends, she is approaching her teenage years, and it is clear that Sam will expect her to take the place of Henrietta and Louisa as a household slave.
Tommy Pollit, a four-year-old son of Sam and Henrietta. A handsome boy with dark eyes, curly hair, and a grin that women cannot resist, he survives the emotional turmoil of the household by clinging to Henrietta and Louisa. When Louisa leaves, she has no doubt that Tommy will be taken in by an aunt.
Bert Anderson, Henrietta's lover. A vulgar, lusty man who works in Washington for the Internal Revenue Service, he makes Henrietta feel young and beautiful again. After she tells him that Sam has received an anonymous note about their affair, he fears damage to his career and breaks off their relationship. Even though he sees her desperation, he leaves her waiting for him in a bar, making it clear to her that she has been only a diversion. This incident helps drive her toward suicide.
Miss Aiden, a teacher at Annapolis High School. A tall, golden-haired, good-natured woman who is devoted to her students, she becomes Louisa's first love. When she comes to dinner with the family on Sam's birthday, she sees their poverty and the atmosphere of hatred and desperation. By telling Louisa that one day she will be famous, Miss Aiden gives her the courage to leave home.