Saturday Night and Sunday Morning: Analysis of Major Characters
"Saturday Night and Sunday Morning" is a novel centered around the life of Arthur Seaton, a young lathe operator in Nottingham, England, who embodies the struggle for individual autonomy amidst societal expectations. At twenty-one, Arthur engages in a hedonistic lifestyle characterized by romantic escapades with married women, particularly Brenda and Winnie, and indulges in heavy drinking. His relationships reflect a tension between the desire for personal freedom and the consequences of his actions, especially after a violent confrontation with Winnie’s husband, which prompts a shift in his outlook on life.
Brenda, a young mother trapped in a mundane marriage, seeks excitement in her affair with Arthur but ultimately fades from the story after a personal crisis. In contrast, Doreen, a factory worker and Arthur's eventual love interest, represents the appeal of settling down, although her efforts to reform Arthur are met with challenges. Winnie, Brenda's more adventurous sister, adds to the complexity of Arthur’s relationships, and her reckless nature pulls him deeper into a lifestyle he begins to question.
Jack, Brenda’s husband and a figure of stability, contrasts with Arthur's chaotic existence, ultimately betraying him out of jealousy. Aunt Ada serves as a nurturing force in Arthur's life, providing a supportive home environment that helps him reassess his choices. The interplay of these characters illustrates the broader themes of independence, societal pressure, and the search for meaning in post-war England.
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Alan Sillitoe
First published: 1958
Genre: Novel
Locale: Nottingham, England
Plot: Psychological realism
Time: The 1950's
Arthur Seaton, a lathe operator in a bicycle factory in Nottingham, England. The blond, muscular twenty-one-year-old fights to remain independent of society, employers, and marriage. He dates married women—first Brenda, then Winnie—and engages in boisterous drinking bouts. After a beating by Winnie's soldier husband, he settles for the single Doreen, deciding that he need not reject all that life offers to remain independent.
Brenda, Jack's wife and Arthur's lover. A young mother of two, she is bored with Jack and finds romance and excitement with Arthur. She is part of the dangerous “Saturday Night” life of the first half of the novel. After having an abortion, and after Arthur, discovered by Jack, has been beaten, she fades from the action.
Doreen Greatton, a factory worker. Nineteen years old and single, she is eager to be married but seeks to curb Arthur's excesses. She represents marriage and settling down to Arthur in the “Sunday Morning” half of the novel. She fails to get him past every pub but has won commitment from Arthur at the end.
Winnie, nicknamed “Gyp,” Brenda's sister. She is livelier and more reckless than her older sister. She, too, has an affair with Arthur. Her husband, Bill, is a soldier stationed in Germany. He returns on leave with a friend and, tipped off to the affair by Jack, beats Arthur. By dating Winnie, Arthur hastens an end to the dangerous life that he is finding to be a strain.
Jack, Brenda's husband and Arthur's foreman at the factory. He is steady but dull. Rather than confront Arthur, he betrays him to Bill, Winnie's husband.
Aunt Ada, Arthur's widowed aunt, a large, boisterous, and nurturing mother figure whose house teems with family at Christmas. Following his beating by Winnie's husband, Arthur becomes withdrawn and cautious. It is in her house, under her vital influence, that Arthur breaks out of his withdrawal and returns to life, but with new attitudes.