The Vivisector: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Vivisector" explores the complex character of Hurtle Duffield Courtney, an Australian artist embodying the intersection of genius and egotism. Sold to the wealthy Courtney family by his impoverished parents, Hurtle becomes the focus of their ambitions while simultaneously revealing his selfish tendencies that fuel his artistic drive. The narrative delves into Hurtle's relationships with various women—most notably his adoptive sister Rhoda, who inspires and challenges him; Nance, a warmhearted prostitute whose tragic fate prompts Hurtle's self-reflection; and the glamorous Olivia and Hero, who offer both inspiration and emotional turmoil. Each of these characters reflects different facets of Hurtle's moral and artistic dilemmas, highlighting themes of exploitation, purity, and the quest for authenticity. As Hurtle grapples with the consequences of his actions and the impact of his relationships, the story paints a vivid portrait of an artist's life marked by both brilliance and profound personal flaws. The dynamics within this intricately woven narrative resonate with broader questions of human connection, creativity, and the often painful search for meaning.
The Vivisector: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Patrick White
First published: 1970
Genre: Novel
Locale: Sydney, Australia, and its environs
Plot: Psychological realism
Time: c. 1900–1970
Hurtle Duffield Courtney, a renowned Australian artist. He is sold at a young age to the wealthy Courtney family by his impoverished, prolific parents, the Duffields. This commerce in a human being provides the novel's main metaphor: Hurtle will be bought and sold many times more as an accomplished artist. Hurtle brings great hope to the Courtneys, who have one handicapped daughter; they throw all their energies into making Hurtle a suitable heir. Even while he is young, however, the selfish, egotistical qualities surface that will later contribute to his artistic genius. Hurtle ruthlessly uses people for his own artistic purposes: His family, friends, and lovers all provide fodder for his vision. Ironically, his quest is for purity and simplicity, a search for the color of God. As an artist, Hurtle is an iconoclast, tearing away at the pretensions and hypocrisy of the art world. To that end, he turns to the gritty, seamy, and even grotesque side of life to produce his paintings. Hurtle has many affairs with women, all of which end badly because he uses and emotionally abuses them. Still, Hurtle is never entirely despicable: His honesty, although brutal at times, is admirable.
Alfreda Courtney and Harry Courtney, the wealthy couple who adopt Hurtle. Alfreda is a pretentious, selfish woman who insists on Hurtle calling her Maman and who exhibits incestuous tendencies toward him. Harry is a decent man and would dearly love to get close to his son but, in his blundering, male way, cannot.
Rhoda Courtney, the hunchbacked daughter of Alfreda and Harry, Hurtle's adoptive sister. Rhoda is intelligent and sensitive; as a child, she both resents and adores Hurtle. Her brother is repulsed by her, even though she fascinates him: Her deformed body becomes his first artistic victim and his earliest artistic triumph. To a certain extent, Hurtle also fears Rhoda: She is perceptive enough to understand much about Hurtle and blunt enough to make him uncomfortable. When he finally leaves the Courtneys behind, Rhoda is the one person he misses. Many years later, he comes across Rhoda by chance. She has become a bag lady, collecting stinking horseflesh by day so she can feed street cats by night. Hurtle, as if to purge himself of guilt for his earlier treatment of Rhoda, persuades her to move in with him. Because Rhoda remains the one person who is completely honest with Hurtle, and from whom he has no secrets, they develop an extraordinary relationship. Rhoda provides Hurtle with both inspiration and exasperation.
Nance Lightfoot, a simple, warmhearted prostitute. Hurtle carries on an extended affair with Nance, whose amply endowed body provides him with fresh forms for his paintings. He transforms her curves into rocks and cheeses and enters on a successful and productive period in his career. As much as he cares for Nance, however, he refuses to become attached to her. Ultimately, her accidental/suicidal death jars him into some belated self-reflection and humanity.
Olivia Davenport, formerly Boo Hollingrake, a wealthy woman, a patron of the arts and a friend to both Rhoda and Hurtle. She first becomes acquainted with the Courtneys when she is a girl named Boo, and she is, in fact, Hurtle's boyhood crush. She surfaces again after many years as a socialite named Olivia who throws elegant dinner parties and collects Duffields even though she secretly despises them. She rejects Hurtle as a lover but tries to procure him for her own friend and lover, Hero Pavloussi. Olivia is charming and superficial and knows it, which is why she patronizes Hurtle.
Hero Pavloussi, Hurtle's lover and Olivia's friend, the wife of a wealthy Greek shipping magnate. Hurtle is attracted to petite, dark, and exotic Hero but is also repulsed by her tragic Greek air. Theirs is a mutually destructive relationship: He uses her for his artistic needs, and she lures him into taking a futile, depressing trip to Greece. Hero is victimized by herself as much as she is by Hurtle.
Kathy Volkov, a brilliant young pianist, Hurtle's neighbor and lover. In his old age, Hurtle finds himself attracted to and seduced by the nubile young girl next door. She becomes his final source of inspiration and the one female capable of hurting him. When he first comes to know her, Kathy is all braids and limbs; still, she is not sexually shy. As she matures and achieves fame as a concert pianist, she discards Hurtle in selfish pursuit of her own goals. In Kathy, Hurtle comes up against an ego as large and ruthless as his own.