The Poorhouse Fair: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Poorhouse Fair" explores the lives and interactions of residents in a state-run home for the aged, focusing on the major characters who embody a range of experiences and philosophies. John F. Hook, a retired schoolteacher, serves as a reflective figure who values intellectual discourse and seeks to impart wisdom, even as he grapples with questions of existence beyond earthly life. Stephen Connor, the home's director, is portrayed as a rationalist with good intentions, striving for an organized environment but often failing to address the deeper spiritual needs of the residents. Billy Gregg represents a more confrontational stance, filled with anger and frustrations over his life's perceived injustices, leading to tension with Connor. George Lucas is depicted as still connected to the outside world, benefiting from a supportive relationship with his wife. Other characters, like Buddy Lee, Amelia Mortis, and Elizabeth Heineman, add diversity to the narrative, with each reflecting different aspects of aging, resilience, and the quest for meaning. Collectively, their stories reveal the complex dynamics of life within the home, highlighting themes of wisdom, authority, emotional expression, and the search for fulfillment amidst the challenges of old age.
The Poorhouse Fair: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: John Updike
First published: 1959
Genre: Novel
Locale: The Diamond County Home for the Aged, in New Jersey
Plot: Satire
Time: 1980's
John F. Hook, a retired schoolteacher. He is ninety-four years old and has been living in the Diamond County Home for the Aged for fifteen years. He is a man of thought and reflection who delights in intellectual discourse and still feels the essential obligation of a teacher to instruct the world in terms of the values, virtues, philosophical perspectives, and cultural landmarks he sees as the structural foundation of civilization. His ideas are grounded in American history, and his continuing sense of pleasure in the infinite, intricate detail of the natural world is a source of spiritual satisfaction for him, as well as evidence of a divine shape to the universe. As his long life nears it conclusion, he is sustained by his faith in some kinds of existence beyond the earthly realm he loves. Questions concerning the dimensions of “Heaven” intrigue him, and he is occasionally troubled by doubt, but his responsiveness to the things of the world and the social arrangements among the residents of the home revive and encourage him. He is seen as something of a wisdom figure by the others, and his gregarious demeanor—a remnant of the gallantry and charm he possessed as a younger man—makes his company welcome. The slightly artificial but captivating manner of his speech is one of his most appealing attributes.
Stephen Connor, the director or prefect of the home, a man in his middle years who has devoted his career in public service to his commitment to being of use to society. He is a rationalist who believes in the power of the state to create a kind of utopia in which human pain, suffering, and want can be reduced drastically. He believes that the limits of his present position prevent him from working toward the encompassing utopian vision he has developed, but he thinks of the residents as “his people” and tries to gauge and meet their needs. In spite of his good intentions, he is unable to understand the spiritual needs and capabilities of the residents, and his determination to keep everything organized and under control leads to frustration and disappointment as the intrinsic human tendency to strain against boundaries continually upsets his plans. He is decent and caring, if somewhat reserved. Although he often argues with Hook, there is some measure of mutual respect in their disputations. Unlike Hook, he is often fretful and troubled, because the spiritual void in his intellectual outlook has effectively removed the possibilities of love from his life.
Billy Gregg, a former electrician. He is seventy years old, small, quick, and profane. He is something of a student in Hook's loosely convened continuing education experience. He is almost constantly angry because of the emptiness of his world. He has little to show for his life and has built up a kind of perpetual grievance against anyone in authority who might be held responsible for his frustrations. His frequent expressions of profanity are a means of striking back as well as a way to keep mentally alert. In spite of his boisterous manner, he is generally ineffectual, his passion having no real outlet. His anarchist impulse is sharply in contrast with Connor's will to order and leads to a constant low level of tension between them, occasionally flaring into anger, as in the incident of the residents stoning Connor.
George Lucas, formerly a truck farmer, in the home for only three years. He is more closely connected to the outer world than most of the other residents and is still relatively young. He raises pigs and pokes at a sore in his ear as a means of maintaining the responsiveness of his body to stimuli. His wife is in the home too, and their relationship gives his life a structured partnership most of the others lack. Before entering the home, he went bankrupt in the real estate business because he knew land but “displeased people” with his stubborn, persistent nature.
Buddy Lee, Connor's assistant, a bright young man who is relatively inexperienced with the ways of the world and follows Connor's direction almost as a disciple. He is not very sympathetic about the problems of old age but is capable of stylish turns of wit and might be able to acquire the compassion he presently lacks.
Amelia (Amy) Mortis, an old woman who lives at the residence. She makes quilts that reflect the rich tapestry of the American past. She is plainspoken, direct, and perceptive, intellectually capable of conversing with Hook and Connor. Her opinions reflect the fundamental common sense of someone who has a realistic picture of life's difficulties but who is still responsive to moments of spiritual beauty and appreciates occasions of celebration.
Elizabeth Heineman, who has become blind in her old age but has developed a visionary capacity for exultation in the presence of powerful human emotion and a sensitivity to the needs and desires of others that she lacked before her loss of sight.