Passing Time: Analysis of Major Characters
"Passing Time: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the intricate relationships and personal journeys of several key figures in a narrative set in the industrial city of Bleston. Central to the story is Jacques Revel, a Frenchman grappling with isolation and cultural dislocation as he navigates the city's oppressive atmosphere. His experiences are shaped by his interactions with a diverse cast, including George Burton, a detective-story writer whose secretive identity complicates his relationship with Revel. The narrative also introduces James Jenkins, a colleague of Revel who becomes entangled in suspicions of attempted murder, alongside Ann and Rose Bailey, two sisters whose romantic entanglements with Revel's acquaintances deepen the emotional stakes.
As Revel immerses himself in Bleston's labyrinthine streets, he forms a bond with a fellow outcast, highlighting themes of camaraderie amidst adversity. The dynamics of love and longing are evident as Revel grapples with his unexpressed feelings for both Rose and Ann, while the mysterious circumstances surrounding Burton's near-fatal accident weave a thread of suspense throughout the story. The analysis emphasizes the characters' struggles with identity, connection, and the haunting influence of their environment, inviting readers to consider the ways in which time and memory shape their lives.
Passing Time: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Michel Butor
First published: L'Emploi du temps, 1956 (English translation, 1960)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Bleston, an industrial city in northern England
Plot: Detective and mystery
Time: The 1950's
Jacques Revel, a Frenchman hired by an English export firm for one year. He arrives in the northern industrial city of Bleston knowing no one and speaking little English. He walks the cold, rainy streets of the ancient city and becomes obsessed with its strange power, afraid that it will swallow him up as it has so many others. To protect himself from its evil spell, he keeps a journal, describing the maze of streets in the main part of town, the two cathedrals, and the museum. He recounts the events that take place during his stay in a confused account that moves “through a labyrinth of time and memory.” Soon after arriving, he meets a fellow outcast, a black man, and together they roam the dreary streets and visit the dark, dirty pubs. He meets the author of The Bleston Murder and tries to solve the mystery of a near-fatal accident. He suspects, then absolves, a colleague of attempted murder, and he falls in love twice but is unable to declare himself. Finally, he leaves the city a year later, longing for its total destruction.
George Burton, a detective-story writer who has used a pseudonym for his latest book, fearing the town's hostile reaction to the murder scene that takes place in its new cathedral. Burton reveals his true identity to Revel and swears him to secrecy, but Revel betrays him to the Bailey sisters and to James Jenkins. Soon afterward, Burton is hit by a mysterious black Morris car and is seriously hurt. Revel suspects attempted murder.
James Jenkins, Revel's colleague at Matthews Sons, who accompanies him to the New Theatre to see travelogs about famous cities and who invites him home to the big house where Jenkins lives with his mother, a once-beautiful woman who strangely resembles the statues on the portico of the new cathedral and who becomes unaccountably upset when The Bleston Murder is mentioned. Because of her reaction and because Jenkins uses a black Morris company car, Revel suspects Jenkins of trying to murder George Burton.
Ann Bailey, a young woman whom Revel first meets in a stationery store when she sells him several maps of Bleston. She later becomes engaged to James Jenkins, just as Revel realizes that he is in love with her.
Rose Bailey, Ann's younger sister, who is studying French at the university and who is Revel's first love. She, too, eludes him and becomes engaged to his friend, Julien Blaise.
Julien Blaise, a young Frenchman who has come to Bleston to work as apprentice barman at the Grand Hotel and who accompanies Revel on his rambling walks and bus rides. Before returning to France, Julien becomes engaged to Rose, leaving his friend to suffer in silence as Rose delightedly reads Julien's love letters to him.
Richard Tenn, a friend of a cousin of the Bailey sisters. His home is described in detail in The Bleston Murder as that of the murderer. Revel suspects him of trying to murder Burton until he learns that Tenn's Morris is gray, not black.