Party Going: Analysis of Major Characters
"Party Going" is a novel that delves into the dynamics of a group of wealthy individuals waiting at a railway station before embarking on a journey to the south of France. The story is primarily centered around Max Adey, a charismatic and wealthy playboy who serves as the unofficial host of the gathering. His relationships with two women, Julia Wray and his mistress Amabel, create tension and highlight themes of attraction and manipulation within the group. Amabel is depicted as a beautiful socialite whose presence captivates others and complicates the dynamics among the party members.
Other characters include Alex Alexander, who struggles with insecurities stemming from his family’s misfortunes, and Claire Hignam, who navigates her feelings of devotion and resentment towards her aunt while vying for Max's attention. The narrative explores the interactions and emotional undercurrents among these characters, revealing their complexities and vulnerabilities. Characters like Evelyn Henderson and Angela Crevy add depth to the portrayal of social dynamics, showcasing varying degrees of wealth and societal position. Through these characters, "Party Going" examines themes of desire, identity, and the often superficial nature of social interactions among the affluent.
Party Going: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Henry Green
First published: 1939
Genre: Novel
Locale: A London train hotel
Plot: Symbolism
Time: Immediately prior to World War II
Max Adey, a wealthy playboy, dark and excessively handsome. With a reputation for alcoholic excess and for considerable romantic charm, Max is the center of attention among the women in the novel. He is also the official host of the traveling party and insists on paying every expense, including the price of three hotel rooms to house his guests while they wait to start their holiday journey to the south of France. Max is particularly attracted both to Julia and to his mistress, Amabel, but he is unable to make up his mind about these two women. Max is clearly helpless before Amabel's considerable powers of attraction, but he cannot resist duping her to pursue Julia.
Amabel, Max's mistress, a beautiful celebrity socialite. Amabel tracks Max and his wealthy party to the station hotel, despite Max's efforts to lose her. When she joins the company, she outshines the other women, who are fascinated and envious of the famous beauty in their midst, and she also succeeds in manipulating the various men, including Max. Amabel is narcissistic and assured of her irresistible appearance. At the end of the novel, she manages to persuade Max to invite her along on the group trip to the south of France.
Alex Alexander, a less attractive and less wealthy member of Max's party. Alex's mother died when he was ten years old, and his family has suffered psychological and financial misfortune. Although he wishes to be liked, Alex is too ready to express the selfish feelings of the group, and they often find his frankness vulgar. He is not supposed to care about women, but he is easily manipulated by both Angela and Amabel.
Julia Wray, the niece of a director of the railroad and a member of Max's party. Julia alternately fears the crowd in the railway station and enjoys feeling superior to it. She is often childish, and she tells Max about her collection of toys at great length. She is also very interested in Max, and although she rejects his direct advances when they are alone together, she is later angered when she finds that Max has spent time alone in the hotel with Amabel.
Claire Hignam, another member of Max's group, the niece of Miss Fellowes. Claire is alternately devoted to her aunt and resentful of her; she also soaks up Max's attention while resenting Amabel and Max as the center of the group's attention. Claire makes a great show of remaining behind the others with her convalescent aunt, but she has no real intention of doing so.
Robert Hignam, Claire's husband and the object of much abuse. Robert is an agreeable but dull errand boy for his wife. When not in her employ or enduring her assaults on his intelligence, he is usually in the hotel's lobby bar.
Evelyn Henderson, who is three years younger than Julia and the least wealthy member of the group. Evelyn understands well the importance of money, but she spends much of her time keeping Claire company in caring for Miss Fellowes. Although many of the others express pity for Evelyn, her presence ultimately demonstrates only the shallowness of this sentiment and the selfish nature of those around her.
Angela Crevy, the least worldly member of Max's party, with extremely white hands and a large amount of luggage. She repeatedly suspects that there is a conspiracy among the others to keep something from her, and she misunderstands entirely the nature of Amabel's bath with Alex Alexander. She is also contemptuous of people in the street. In her eagerness to become a member of Max's group, she repeatedly drives away her suitor, Robin Adams.
Robin Adams, Angela's boyfriend, who is not invited on the trip to France. Robin thinks that the members of Max's group are revolting, and he desperately wants Angela to acknowledge their engagement. He is disappointed, however, when Angela repeatedly rejects him and eventually sends him away.
Miss Fellowes, Claire's aunt, fifty-one years old. Entering the fogbound train station where much of the novel is set, Miss Fellowes finds a dead pigeon, which she keeps in a paper bag. She later buys a whiskey in the station hotel bar and subsequently becomes ill. She is then rescued by her niece and her niece's friends, who take her to a room in the station hotel. Although she provides a moral contrast to the world of her niece in her frequent ruminations on death, Miss Fellowes often merely echoes the trite sentiments of her younger relative and her wealthy friends.