Volunteers: Analysis of Major Characters
"Volunteers: Analysis of Major Characters" examines a range of compelling figures within a narrative that unfolds at a archaeological dig involving prisoners and their supervisors. Central to the play is George, the site supervisor, who embodies a detached and authoritative presence, often looking down on the diggers from his elevated office. In contrast, Mr. Wilson, the guard, presents a tough exterior while being preoccupied with personal concerns, such as his daughter's music exam, rendering him a somewhat absent figure.
Among the prisoners, Des, a leftist archaeology student, attempts to connect with the men but struggles to reconcile his ideals with his actions. Characters like Knox and Butt showcase a spectrum of backgrounds and personalities—Knox, from a once-privileged life now marred by bitterness, and Butt, a quiet and thoughtful laborer who actively engages with the archeological work. Smiler, affected by past torture, adds a layer of innocence and tragedy, while Keeney, the sharp-tongued leader, balances humor with dark revelations about their fate. Pyne, Keeney's loyal follower, provides a counterpoint to Keeney's bravado, reflecting uncertainty amid the dark humor. Together, these characters navigate themes of power, camaraderie, and existential dread within their constrained environment.
Volunteers: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Brian Friel
First published: 1979
Genre: Play
Locale: Ireland
Plot: Tragicomedy
Time: The 1970's
George, the site supervisor. A pompous, rather unlikable man, he has the most contact with the diggers. He refuses to be entertained by their antics or concerned with their troubles. Most of the time, he literally looks down on them from a temporary office built above the excavation site. He is in constant conflict with Keeney.
Mr. Wilson, the guard. Professing a great understanding of criminal behavior, he is a no-nonsense, ostentatiously tough man in his sixties. Despite his loudly voiced concern over issues of crime and punishment, he is not a strong presence in the play. When he does appear, he is preoccupied with his young daughter's musical examination.
Des, an archaeology student nicknamed Dessy the Red by the diggers. He is a serious young leftist, twenty years old. He likes to think of himself as more closely allied to the prisoners on the dig than to the professionals who supervise it. His small gestures of camaraderie—buying cigarettes and newspapers for the men—prove to be the extent of his aid to them, as he consistently fails to live up to his political and professional ideals.
Knox, a prisoner on the dig. A dirty, shambling man of sixty-five years, but looking older, he is noteworthy among the men for his smell and his ill temper. He is frequently the butt of Keeney and Pyne's jokes. Reared in a fabulously wealthy and privileged home, he was left poor and useless after his father's death. He subsequently found money and companionship as a message carrier for political subversives.
Butt, a prisoner on the dig. He is a solid, quiet man in his late forties, from the countryside. He looks after Smiler and is the only man on the dig who develops an objective, intellectual interest in the archaeological work. Throughout the play, he is a model worker and a foil to the irreverent Keeney. It is Butt who makes the most significant gesture of rebellion when he smashes a valuable jug that is the prize find on the dig.
Smiler, a prisoner on the dig, in his mid-thirties. Smiler is a harmless, childlike man, appearing most of the time in a ridiculous tasseled hat. He has been made an idiot by torture in prison. His disappearance from and later return to the dig precipitates Keeney's confession to the other diggers that they are marked for assassination by their fellow political prisoners. Smiler, on occasion, begins speaking in his former idealistic voice before lapsing into vacuity.
Keeney, a prisoner on the dig. A sharp-tongued, energetic man in his forties, Keeney—along with his sidekick Pyne—keeps up a running series of jokes, insults, and limericks through much of the play. Once a leader in the Nationalist movement, he is the man who persuaded the others to join the dig, despite the threat of retaliation from the other political prisoners. Until he makes his revelation, he is the only one who knows that they will all be killed. Keeney is obsessed with the Viking-era skeleton of a murdered man found on the dig and makes up a series of stories about the reasons for this man's death.
Pyne, a prisoner on the dig, in his thirties. He is a devoted follower of Keeney, joining him and imitating him in his bantering. Pyne is less certain of himself than Keeney, however; sometimes even he is confused by Keeney's joking. He is more confused by Keeney's outbursts of anger. Pyne has difficulty distinguishing Keeney's serious statements from his irreverent ones.