G.: Analysis of Major Characters
"G.: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the intricate web of relationships and dynamics surrounding the protagonist, G., an unconventional and cynical figure navigating a tumultuous world. G. is depicted as an "ugly, intense young man" who, despite his appearance, is successful with women and engages in numerous romantic conquests. His complex relationships include a seductive encounter with his cousin Beatrice and a critical connection with Nuša, a Slovene girl linked to a politically charged family. The narrative also presents family dynamics, notably through Laura, G.'s unconventional mother, and Umberto, his wealthy father, whose absences shape G.'s identity.
Other characters, such as Jocelyn and Beatrice, add layers to G.'s upbringing and emotional struggles. The analysis extends to G.'s friendships, including those with aviators Charles Weymann and Geo Chavez, who highlight his disregard for societal norms and personal safety. The overarching themes of identity, allegiance, and personal desire are woven throughout the character interactions, culminating in G.'s tragic fate as he becomes entangled in a world of espionage and betrayal. This exploration of G. and his relationships emphasizes the complexity of human motivations and the impact of personal choices against a backdrop of historical events.
G.: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: John Berger
First published: 1972
Genre: Novel
Plot: Historical
Time: The late nineteenth century through the beginning of World War I
G., the protagonist. Though described as an “ugly, intense young man,” he is very successful with women; he is seduced by his cousin Beatrice at the age of fifteen. As he gets older, his complexion grows sallower and his face thinner, making his nose appear larger. G. is a cynic who does not believe in “the Great Causes.” He does what he wants, ever in search of more conquests and new experiences. Although people assume that he must be an idealistic dreamer because of his actions (for example, he becomes a spy in Trieste for the Allied side), he seems to be the exact opposite, except that, at the end, he does take Nuša the passport he promised her, heedless of his own safety. It is uncertain if this gesture is merely a way of ensuring Nuša's seduction. G. is killed because his actions have become so arbitrary as to indicate that he is a traitor, though he is not, because he holds no allegiances.
Laura, G.'s mother. A short woman with fair hair and a somewhat retroussé nose, Laura is described as being the opposite of her lover Umberto's wife, Esther. Laura enjoys being unconventional: She married at the age of seventeen but two years later, in public, told her husband never to come back. The idea of having a child out of wedlock seems to her to indicate self-sufficiency rather than disgrace. Once she has the child, she is not interested in rearing him, but she will not allow Umberto to rear him either. Instead, Laura deposits G. at her cousins' farm in England. Later, however, Laura takes G. to meet his father in Italy.
Umberto, a wealthy Italian candied-fruit merchant, G.'s father. Umberto is devoted to his mistress, Laura, though he never allows her to meet him in Livorno, where his wife lives. He does not see his son until G. is eleven years old, and he dies in 1908. G. adopts the guise of a wealthy Italian candied-fruit merchant when he is in Trieste, an identity that would have been his had he been Umberto's legitimate son.
Jocelyn, Laura's cousin. A large, handsome man with pale blue eyes, he is the last remnant of an English upper-class family. He is a bachelor but maintains an incestuous affair with his sister, Beatrice. He and Beatrice are G.'s guardians while G.'s mother, Laura, is away, and it is on their farm that G. is reared.
Beatrice, Jocelyn's sister. Five years younger than her brother, Beatrice breaks away from him when she marries and moves to Africa. After she is widowed, however, she returns to the family farm, where she seduces G. Beatrice stays in G.'s memories for the rest of his life, though he does not attempt to look her up when he returns to England as an adult.
Charles Weymann, a friend of G. He is the pilot on one of the first night flights ever made, on which G. is his passenger. A small, dapper man with blue eyes and a bow tie, Weymann cannot understand why G. does not want to learn how to fly; in general, he is disgusted by G.'s increasingly cavalier behavior.
Geo Chavez, an aviator friend of Weymann and G. He is a small young man with dark eyes and full lips. He becomes the first person to fly an airplane across the Alps, though he is fatally injured in a crash landing. His character corresponds to a historical figure, Jorge “Geo” Chavez, a Peruvian flyer. Chavez and G. are in the same hospital after G. is shot by a cuckolded husband.
Nuša (NEW-sheh), a Slovene girl born in the Karst. G. meets her in Trieste, in the garden of the Museo Lapidario, also called Holderlin's garden. Her brother, Bojan, is a member of the Young Bosnians, the group responsible for the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand in Sarajevo, an act credited with being responsible for the beginning of World War I. Nuša decides to go along with G.'s invitation to a fancy ball so that she can obtain G.'s passport, with which her brother can escape to France.
Marika von Hartmann, the Hungarian wife of an Austrian banker. G. is fascinated by her mouth and nose, and it is on this basis that he decides to have an affair with her. She is a large-boned woman with a thick, muscular neck, and she walks unsteadily: Her gait resembles that of a camel. She still wishes to have an affair with G. even after he shows up at the ball with the peasant girl Nuša, who is dressed as an upper-class woman.
Wolfgang von Hartmann, Marika's husband. A stout, wealthy man, he gives permission to G. and Marika to have an affair but is then offended when G. flaunts his connection with Nuša. Finding himself emotionally outmaneuvered by G., von Hartmann tries to have G. arrested by the Austrian government for espionage.