The Revenge for Love: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Revenge for Love: Analysis of Major Characters" explores a diverse cast of figures involved in the complexities of the Spanish Civil War, intertwining personal struggles with ideological conflicts. Central to the narrative is Percy Hardcaster, a British propagandist who faces severe physical and moral challenges, including the loss of his leg and ideological disputes with fellow characters. Victor Stamp, an Australian painter, grapples with his artistic identity and self-worth while getting entangled in the dangerous world of arms smuggling. His partner, Margot, shows unwavering support despite their tumultuous circumstances, only to face tragedy alongside him.
The story also delves into the dynamics between Tristram and Gillian Phipps, a couple whose political disagreements lead to separation, highlighting the personal impact of broader social issues. Jack Cruze serves as an antagonist, embodying the conflict between desire and power, while various supporting characters like Don Alvaro, a cynical prison guard, illustrate the harsh realities of war. The narrative ultimately reflects on themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the human cost of ideological fervor, underlining the intricate relationships formed amidst the chaos of the era. This analysis invites readers to consider the interplay between personal ambitions and collective struggles during a tumultuous period in history.
The Revenge for Love: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Wyndham Lewis
First published: 1937
Genre: Novel
Locale: Andalusia and Navarre, Spain, and London, England
Plot: Social satire
Time: 1936–1937
Percy Hardcaster, a fat Englishman of forty; he is five feet, eight inches tall and is a propagandist for the Communists in the Spanish Civil War. He has a little mustache, and he wears silver-rimmed spectacles. He is shot in the leg while trying to escape from a Spanish prison; infection sets in, and the leg must be amputated. He disputes the truth of Marxist politics with Gillian and is beaten by Jack Cruze. He runs guns into Spain with Victor Stamp; he is captured and returned to prison there.
Victor Stamp, a big Australian painter, twenty-six years old. A decent man, he recognizes his limitations as an artist, but this awareness robs him of any sense of purpose. He loans pictures to the People's Art League but cannot sell them. He tries working for Freddie Salmon, faking paintings by Vincent van Gogh, but he destroys his work. He goes with Percy and Margot to the Spanish frontier, where he is used as bait in smuggling guns to Communists. He and Margot die from a fall during a mountain storm while trying to escape from the Spanish Civil Guard.
Margaret (Margot) Stamp, Victor's common-law wife, twenty-four years old. Devoted to Victor, she retains faith in him despite his failures. She accompanies him to the Spanish frontier, where she tries to prevent him from running guns for the Communists. She dies with Victor while trying to escape from Spain to France through the mountains.
Tristram (Tristy) Phipps, a painter and friend of Victor Stamp, six feet, two inches tall. He lives with Gillian in a basement flat near the Thames. A dedicated Communist, he quarrels with Gillian over politics, and she leaves him. He accepts work for Freddie Salmon making counterfeit paintings.
Gillian (Jill) Phipps, Tristy's wife, a Communist who was born in privileged circumstances. A self-consciously liberated woman, she enjoys toying with men. When a dalliance with Percy Hardcaster turns into a quarrel in which he dismisses her as a pampered intellectual who gets a thrill from her association with the working class, she watches with complicity as Jack Cruze gives him a brutal beating. Later, she moves in with Jack.
John “Jack” Cruze, a stocky man of forty, five feet, eight inches tall, and an inveterate chaser of women. His father was a country constable, but he is an actuary in the London offices to which Tristram Phipps goes for help with tax matters. Jack pursues Gillian, who treats him with a mixture of seductiveness and condescension that both angers and arouses him.
Don Alvaro Morato (AHL-vah-roh moh-RAH-toh), a prison guard. He shoots Percy Hardcaster and kills Percy's accomplice during Percy's attempted escape. Black-mustached and cynical, he despises the English Communists fighting in the Spanish Civil War.
Serafin (seh-rah-FEEN), a prison guard subordinate to Don Alvaro, about thirty years old, with a hanging underlip, a squinting and winking left eye, a small mustard mustache, bad gums, and amber eyes. He is shot and killed by Don Alvaro when he attempts to help Percy escape.
Don Agustin (ah-guhs-TEEN), a Communist imprisoned with Percy in Spain.
Pascual (pahs-KWAHL), the Communist who arranged Percy's escape. He visits Percy in the hospital and rails against the brutality of Serafin's death.
Sean O'Hara, an Irish-born Communist leader, dwarfish and dark. He and his wife give a party in honor of the heroic Percy after his return to England from the Spanish prison. According to rumors that he denies, he is guilty of serious betrayals. He and Abershaw send Percy and Victor to smuggle guns into Spain.
Eileen O'Hara, Sean's English wife, thirty years old and of middle-class background. She is disturbed by the rumors about her husband despite her desire to disbelieve them.
Peter Wallace, born Reuben Wallach, a Communist art critic who writes about pictures and sculpture. He discusses modern painting with Victor and Tristram at O'Hara's party.
“Abb” Abershaw, an accomplice of Sean O'Hara and a business partner of Freddie Salmon. He is six feet, three inches tall, with the face of a crook and a small mustache. He forges Victor's name and sets Victor up as a decoy in the smuggling operation in Spain.
Freddie Salmon, the owner of a “factory” for counterfeiting paintings. He dislikes Victor and provokes him into destroying a fake self-portrait of van Gogh.
Isaac Wohl, a painter who works for Freddie Salmon, specializing in faking paintings by Marie Laurencin.
Agnes Irons, a friend of Margot, deeply suntanned from a golfing trip to Malaya. She has large teeth and laughs constantly. She listens to Margot's troubles.
Don Mateu (Mat) (mah-TEH-ew), the Spanish proprietor of a hotel on the French side of the Spanish frontier. He works with Percy to smuggle arms to the Communists in the Civil War.