The Morning Watch: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Morning Watch: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the complexities of adolescent experiences through the eyes of Richard, a young boy grappling with his faith and self-identity. Richard aspires to be pious during the Lenten season but finds himself torn between his genuine desire to emulate Jesus and the pressures of peer approval. This internal conflict leads him to extreme actions, including self-punishment and a troubling incident involving the killing of a snake, which highlights his struggle with morality. The influence of his mother, who is both loving and oppressive, further complicates Richard's self-image and spiritual journey.
The narrative also introduces key figures in Richard's life, such as Willard Rivenburg, the school’s admired athlete, whose physical prowess makes Richard feel inadequate. Father Fish, a kind teacher, offers a more nurturing presence, alleviating some of Richard's guilt. In contrast, characters like Claude Gray and Richard's mischievous friends, Hobe Gillum and Jimmy Toole, challenge his values and lead him toward behaviors he initially resists. Meanwhile, George Fitzgerald and Lee Allen, older prefects on a path to priesthood, embody authority and discipline, adding another layer of tension to Richard's budding sense of rebellion. Through these interactions, the story explores themes of faith, identity, and the often contradictory nature of adolescence.
The Morning Watch: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: James Agee
First published: 1951
Genre: Novella
Locale: An Episcopalian boys' school in Tennessee
Plot: Bildungsroman
Time: Good Friday, 1924
Richard, an aspiring “saint” who suffers from the contradictions that plague many adolescents his age. He is so impressed with the holiness of the Lenten season that he vows to do as much for Jesus as Jesus did for him; his failure to measure up to Christ's example causes him to feel deeply ashamed. Obsessed with the desire to demonstrate his piety, Richard punishes himself and almost drowns, only to suffer from feelings of false pride afterward. Despite his overpowering desire to be reverent, Richard cannot keep his mind from wandering during the service. He is also torn by his need to impress his friends, whose good opinion he seems to value almost as much as God's. Feeling frustrated in his attempts to be humble without feeling proud of it, Richard leaves the church and arrives at a real sense of his own capacity for evil in the woods, where he participates in the senseless slaughter of a snake.
Richard's mother, who is loving but oppressive. Because she is rearing Richard by herself, she encourages him to play with other boys and inadvertently causes him to feel abandoned. Her insistence that Richard learn God's will by submitting is largely responsible for Richard's poor self-image. His nagging feeling that vanity is mixed up in his piety also is a product of his mother's influence. Because Richard is torn between feelings of love and hatred for her, she is, for the most part, ineffective as a mother.
Willard Rivenburg, the school's leading athlete and the idol of the younger boys. Because of his advanced physical maturity, he looks out of place and even slightly irreverent when participating in the Mass with the rest of the boys. Willard's muscularity makes Richard uneasy about his own lack of physical development. Richard is also hurt by the fact that this “superhuman” young man is unimpressed by his defense of Hobe Gillum in church.
Father Fish, Richard's favorite teacher. He often invites Richard over to his cottage for cookies and cocoa. Richard trusts the man and takes his advice because of his wisdom and kindness. Acting almost as a surrogate father, Father Fish relieves much of Richard's guilt.
Claude Gray, a fanatically religious and somewhat insolent boy. His “girlish” voice and demonstrative piety arouse feelings of pity and guilt in Richard, who struggles with the question of Claude's sincerity when he lays violets at the feet of the Virgin. Richard's final impression of Claude is that of an impudent, effeminate boy who fingers his beads in church.
Hobe Gillum and Jimmy Toole, Richard's mischievous companions, both twelve years old. They enjoy drawing attention to themselves by violating the rules, as Hobe does by cussing in church. Of the two boys, Hobe has the more volatile nature; it emerges in the beginning of the novel when he threatens the boy who woke him by throwing a shoe. These rascals tend to bring out the worst in Richard. To keep from being ostracized by them, Richard joins them in beating the snake and is caught up in their sadistic glee.
George Fitzgerald and Lee Allen, prefects destined to become priests. Being the oldest boys, they are placed in positions of authority, and they carry out their duties with a grave demeanor and a sense of the solemnity of the occasion. They are also strict disciplinarians who threaten to report Hobe Gillum for swearing in church. Richard's fear of these boys compels him to hide from them when he sneaks out of the service. Ironically, Lee and George are just as worried about the consequences of breaking the rules as are the younger boys.