The Floating Opera: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Floating Opera: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the intricate lives of several key figures in John Barth's novel. Central to the narrative is Todd Andrews, a 54-year-old lawyer grappling with existential despair and seeking meaning in a life he views as devoid of intrinsic value. His relationships, notably with Jane Mack—the wife of his best friend—and the influence of his absent father, Thomas T. Andrews, reveal deep themes of identity and morality. Harrison Mack, a pickle magnate, undergoes a transformation after meeting Todd, exploring Marxism and ethical dilemmas while struggling with his own moral failings.
Supporting characters like Captain Osborne Jones, a vibrant yet ailing octogenarian, and Mr. Haecker, a retired principal with a stoic facade, highlight the varied responses to aging and legacy. The narrative also includes Betty June Gunter, whose interactions with Todd take a dark turn, emphasizing the complexities of desire and regret. Captain Jacob Adam, who runs the titular floating opera, symbolizes the chaotic nature of life itself, while Jeannine Mack’s convulsions during a performance serve as a pivotal moment for Todd, leading him to reconsider the existence of relative values. Together, these characters construct a rich tapestry of human experience and philosophical inquiry.
The Floating Opera: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: John Barth
First published: 1956; revised, 1967
Genre: Novel
Locale: Maryland's eastern shore
Plot: Psychological realism
Time: The 1920's and 1930's
Todd Andrews, a fifty-four-year-old lawyer living alone in the Dorset Hotel in Cambridge, Maryland. An expensive dresser, cigar smoker, and chronicler of his own life, he suffers heart and prostate trouble. He fancies that he resembles actor Gregory Peck. Never married, he enjoys an intimate relationship with Jane Mack, his best friend's wife. He claims he is not a philosopher, yet he makes a habit of applying his own eccentric notions to his own and other people's lives, often with grim results. He passes through various “poses” through the years (including misanthropic hermitism, cynicism, and Buddhist “sainthood”) until one day in 1937 he decides to kill himself because he has come to believe that life has no intrinsic value. Foiled in his attempt at self-destruction, he accepts the proposition that perhaps there are, after all, relative values.
Harrison Mack, a pickle magnate. His meeting with Todd in 1925 changes his life dramatically. A large, muscular, amiable, handsome, and intelligent man, he professes Marxism in his youth and is disinherited. Inspired by Todd, he also takes on various poses, one of which results in his encouraging his wife to sleep with Todd. He adheres to what he regards as sophisticated moral and social values but lacks the inner strength to accept the consequences of some of these values.
Jane Mack, Harrison's wife, about twenty-six years old when she commences her affair with Todd in 1932. Beautiful and athletic, she is described by Todd as a woman who leaves nothing to be desired. Her problem is a too-rigid adherence to values imposed on her by her husband, which results in her own partial loss of identity.
Captain Osborne Jones, an eighty-three-year-old retired oyster dredger living in the Dorset Hotel. Crippled by arthritis and other afflictions, he is nevertheless full of life and has few philosophic ideas or preconceptions. A survivor, he complains but goes on, enjoying what life he has left. Todd admires him enormously.
Mr. Haecker, a seventy-nine-year-old retired high school principal living in the Dorset Hotel. Devoid of family and ailing, he attempts a Stoic-like acceptance of old age, citing Cicero as his mentor. When Todd tells him that his stoicism is hypocritical, that he really despises old age, he attempts to kill himself. Unlike Captain Osborne, he suffers from dread, idealistic delusions, and despair.
Thomas T. Andrews, Todd's father. Although in absentia, he exerts a powerful influence over his son. Todd spends much of his own life trying to discover why his father committed suicide in 1930, refusing to accept that he could have done so because of mere bad luck or financial ruin from the stock market crash of October 29, 1929. He was an uncommunicative man who nevertheless made it clear that he expected his son to succeed. He remains a mystery throughout the novel.
Colonel Henry Morton, the owner of a tomato cannery and the richest man in Cambridge, Maryland. He is somewhat vulgar and is corrupted by power. His life becomes a torment when Todd gives him a gift of five hundred dollars with no strings attached. He attempts to offer Todd various jobs and new business because he cannot understand the gift. Only after he finds Todd in a compromising situation with his wife does he proceed to shun Todd altogether.
Betty June Gunter, a poor, scrawny, blonde seventeen-year-old high school student when she first meets Todd, whom she befriends so that she can confess her love for an older man. When, finally, she allows Todd to seduce her, Todd laughs as he catches a glimpse of their lovemaking. She never forgives him. Later, in 1924, having become a prostitute, she attempts to kill him with a broken bottle in a brothel.
Captain Jacob Adam, the tough, wiry, leather-faced proprietor of Adam's Original Unparalleled Floating Opera, a circuslike, showboat extravaganza. Part charlatan and part genuine businessman, he runs a floating opera that grotesquely depicts life itself.
Jeannine Mack, the young, blonde, charming daughter of Jane Mack and either her husband, Harrison, or Todd. Her convulsions during Captain Adam's extravaganza interrupt Todd's suicide and lead him to conclude that relative values are possible in a world of no intrinsic value.