The Flagellants: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Flagellants: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the intricate dynamics between the protagonists, Ideal and Jimson, in a narrative centered on race, identity, and relationships. Ideal is portrayed as a determined young Black woman who sacrifices her stability for love but grows frustrated with Jimson's unwillingness to secure employment, which complicates her sense of self and role within their relationship. Jimson, a passionate Black poet, struggles against Ideal's expectations and societal pressures, leading to feelings of resentment and infidelity. Their interactions highlight themes of dependency and the societal constructs that shape their identities, particularly the notion of the Black matriarch. Supporting characters like Ideal’s first husband, Adam, and Jimson’s grandfather, Papa Boo, further emphasize the struggles faced by Black men in relation to traditional gender roles. Additionally, characters such as Rheba and Johnny Lowell illustrate the broader socio-economic landscape in which these personal dramas unfold, capturing the complexities of race and interpersonal relationships. Together, these characters paint a multifaceted picture of the challenges and societal perceptions that influence their lives and choices.
The Flagellants: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Carlene Hatcher Polite
First published: Les Flagellants, 1966 (English translation, 1967)
Genre: Novel
Locale: New York City
Plot: Social realism
Time: The late 1960's
Ideal, the heroine, a headstrong young black woman who was reared in a Southern black community. Ideal abandons both her career and her financially stable marriage to live with Jimson, the beautiful man of her dreams. She eventually grows to resent their poverty and Jimson's apparent lack of interest in finding employment. Ideal complains that Jimson's behavior places her in the problematic role of the black matriarch, forced to be stronger than the man she supports. In some ways, Ideal draws her identity from Jimson's dependence. When he finally finds a job with the Bureaucratique, Ideal feels abandoned and becomes obsessed with the notion that he is involved with another woman, whom she refers to as “The Byzantine Lady Under Glass,” from the title of one of Jimson's poems. Although she truly loves Jimson, Ideal finally asks Jimson to leave because she realizes that they are destroying each other.
Jimson, the hero, a black poet who responds to Ideal's demands that he seek employment by telling her that as an artist, it is a waste for him to squander his mental energy working for the white society. Jimson grows to resent what he perceives as Ideal's attempt to play the part of the dominant matriarch in their relationship. At the end of the novel, finally confessing to a love affair with another woman, Jimson tells Ideal that he has cheated on her because, like all black women, she is never satisfied with her man's achievements and because he longs to be with a woman who will simply accept him as he is.
Adam, Ideal's first husband, an older man whom Jimson vilifies for his weakness and his inability to be a worthy romantic and sexual partner for a strong woman like Ideal. To Jimson, Adam represents the emasculated, passive role black men are forced into by black matriarchs.
Papa Boo, Jimson's grandfather, who has taught his grandson that whereas black people from West Indian or African backgrounds are tolerated in American society because they provide an exotic element, American blacks are below consideration.
Rheba, a white librarian with a “pitiful lackluster birdface” who hires Jimson to work for her, attempting to become his confidante. Rheba's desperate bid to learn about Jimson's life so that she can identify with his experiences as a black man fails when Jimson, regarding her as another suffocating matriarchal figure, resigns from his job.
Johnny Lowell, Jimson's sharp-dressing, manicured, West Indian supervisor at the Bureaucratique, a social service organization where both men work. A master at the business of looking busy while doing nothing, Lowell depresses Jimson by making it clear that the purpose of their job is not to promote peace and social good but to exploit the company's benefits as much as possible.