Under the Volcano: Analysis of Major Characters
"Under the Volcano" explores the intricate relationships and internal struggles of its major characters against the backdrop of a single tumultuous day in Quauhnahuac, Mexico. The central figure, Geoffrey Firmin, is a former British consul grappling with personal demons, including estrangement from his wife Yvonne, whom he cannot reconnect with despite their shared past. Yvonne, having returned after a year-long absence, embodies the complexities of love and betrayal, having had affairs with both Geoffrey's half-brother Hugh and his friend Jacques. Hugh, a leftist journalist, is torn between his feelings for Yvonne and the familial ties with Geoffrey, adding layers of tension to their interactions. Jacques Laruelle, a French film director, serves as a narrator of the tragic events while also entangled in the web of relationships, reflecting on his friendships with both brothers. Each character navigates their emotional turmoil, epitomized by Geoffrey's descent into alcoholism and existential despair, culminating in his tragic end. Through these interconnected lives, the novel delves into themes of love, betrayal, and the search for meaning amidst personal and political chaos.
Under the Volcano: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Malcolm Lowry
First published: 1947
Genre: Novel
Locale: Quauhnahuac (Cuernavaca), Mexico
Plot: Psychological realism
Time: November 1, 1939
Geoffrey Firmin, formerly the British consul to Quauhnahuac, Mexico. He has resigned from the consular service and attempts to find a way not to return to England. When Geoffrey's mother died, Geoffrey's father remarried, and shortly following the birth of Hugh, Geoffrey's half brother, the father walked away from the family. Geoffrey tried a career in the military prior to joining the consular service, but that, too, fell through. Geoffrey finds himself always forcing himself out of personal relationships. During the one day covered by the novel, Geoffrey demonstrates his inability to come to terms with his personal relationships with his wife, Yvonne; his half brother, Hugh; and his friend, Jacques Laruelle. Geoffrey's one escape is his drinking. His greatest distress is that his brother, Hugh, and friend, Jacques, have committed a sin greater than one against marriage, one against blood. Geoffrey is executed by Mexican officials who accuse him of espionage.
Yvonne Firmin, Geoffrey's wife. Yvonne appears after a one-year absence, during which she secured a divorce from Geoffrey. Like Geoffrey, she is unable to come to terms with her relationship with her spouse and Hugh and Jacques, two men with whom she has had affairs. Prior to her death by being trampled by a runaway horse, Yvonne is the force that brings the three other major characters together.
Hugh Firmin, Geoffrey's half brother and Yvonne's former lover. A leftist journalist who has returned to Quauhnahuac to write an article for the London Globe,healsoappearstobea gun runner for the Spanish loyalists. Hugh shows his personal makeup when he discloses that he has long been bothered by leaving Quauhnahuac without ever experiencing Yvonne's agony for betraying Geoffrey. Not knowing of the couple's separation, Hugh has returned to Mexico as much to see Yvonne as to see his brother.
Jacques Laruelle, a French film director. His role is to recount the story of the day of Geoffrey and Yvonne's deaths. Jacques spent a period of his youth with Geoffrey and Hugh; therefore, he is considered one of three brothers. Like Hugh, Jacques commits adultery with Geoffrey's wife. His aim is to make a French version of the Faustus story, similar to the version he witnesses in the life of Geoffrey Firmin. During his conversation with Señor Bustamente in the cinema, Jacques reacquires the copy of Elizabethan plays Geoffrey loaned to him and finds a letter Geoffrey had written to Yvonne, imploring her to return, but that he never mailed.
Señor Bustamente (bews-tah-MEHN-tay), the manager of the cinema. During his conversation with Jacques, he discloses that he suspects that Geoffrey may be more than he is; he may, in fact, be a spy. He gives Jacques the copy of Elizabethan plays Geoffrey had loaned to Jacques.
Dr. Arturo Diaz Vigil (ahr-TEW-ro DEE-ahz VEE-hihl), who met Geoffrey only once. During their meeting, Dr. Vigil recognized that of all the people with whom he came into contact, Geoffrey was the only one who had absolutely no one waiting or caring for him.