Peter Ibbetson: Analysis of Major Characters
"Peter Ibbetson" explores the complexities of its major characters through the lens of Peter Pasquier de la Marière, who is also known as Peter Ibbetson. Orphaned as a child and raised by his uncle Colonel Ibbetson, Peter is characterized as shy, dreamy, and a freethinker, often retreating into his childhood memories with his dear friend Mimsy. Their relationship evolves as they both experience a mystical dream that enables them to reconnect throughout their lives, despite the tragic turns their stories take. Colonel Ibbetson, Peter's guardian, is portrayed as a vain and malicious figure whose actions lead to Peter's downfall when Peter commits murder in a fit of rage upon learning of the colonel's deceitful nature. Mimsy, initially a sickly child, transforms into a beautiful woman and remains a pivotal figure in Peter's life, embodying the hope and nostalgia he clings to. Other key characters include Mr. Lintot, Peter's entertaining yet flawed employer, and Mrs. Deane, whose eventual revelation about the colonel's villainy further complicates Peter's journey. The narrative delves into themes of memory, love, and the impact of one’s past, providing a rich character study that resonates with readers looking for deeper understanding of human connections and the consequences of choices made throughout life.
Peter Ibbetson: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: George du Maurier
First published: 1891
Genre: Novel
Locale: France and England
Plot: Historical
Time: Mid-nineteenth century
Pierre Pasquier de la Marière (pyehr pahs-KYAY deh mahr-YAY), also Peter Ibbetson, a confessed murderer. An English-French child living in France, afterward orphaned by the almost simultaneous deaths of his father and mother, and taken back to England for his schooling, Peter Ibbetson (as his uncle, Colonel Ibbetson, renames him) attains manhood there, joins the army briefly, and is then apprenticed to an architect. Shy, dreamy, speculative, a skeptical and rather unhappy freethinker, he often lives imaginatively in the happy world of his childhood with Mimsy. After a mystic dream, he discovers he may enter his ideal world again and be with Mimsy when he chooses, though retaining his adult identity. Enraged upon learning through Mrs. Gregory (formerly Mrs. Deane) of the colonel's malice, he kills him in a quarrel and is sentenced to a prison asylum for life. Here he again is able, through wishing, to enter his childhood world from time to time until death takes him.
Colonel Roger Ibbetson, his wealthy guardian, cousin of Mrs. Pasquier; a vain gallant and a malicious liar.
Mimsy Seraskier (seh-rahs-KYAY), his dearest friend; later the duchess of Towers. In childhood a plain, sickly, melancholy girl, she becomes a tall, beautiful woman. Visited by the same dream that changed Peter's life, she later reveals the dream when they meet and happily recall their friendship as children.
Mr. Lintot (lan-TOH), Peter's employer, a self-made, entertainingly egotistical, clever man; an industrious worker but a lover of drink after working hours; both amusing and sentimental when drunk.
Mrs. Lintot, his wife, older than her husband; stern, un-lovely (though he thinks her beautiful), but an excellent wife and mother.
Mrs. Deane, a widow (later Mrs. Gregory). Deceived by Colonel Ibbetson, she long afterward reveals the colonel's villainies to Peter.
Madge Plunket, Peter's cousin, who arranges for the publication of his memoirs.
Madame Seraskier, Mimsy's mother, the tall, beautiful Irish wife of a Hungarian patriot and man of science; she dies of cholera.
Dr. Seraskier, Mimsy's father, a tall, thin, grave, benevolent man who after his wife's death takes Mimsy to Russia.