Riceyman Steps: Analysis of Major Characters
"Riceyman Steps" is a novel that delves into the lives of its major characters, centered around themes of miserly behavior and its consequences. The protagonist, Henry Earlforward, is a parsimonious bookstore owner whose extreme frugality ultimately leads to his demise. He marries Mrs. Violet Arb, a confectioner who discovers too late the extent of his greed. Despite receiving medical attention, she succumbs to malnutrition caused by their shared lifestyle of deprivation. Their maid, Elsie, struggles with hunger and resorting to theft to survive, highlighting the dire effects of her employers' stinginess. Elsie’s relationship with Joe, her sweetheart, adds another layer to the narrative; he has his own troubled past, including a recent stint in jail. Dr. Raste, the physician, attempts to assist the Earlforwards while also forming connections with Elsie and Joe, who represent a glimmer of hope amidst the despair. The interactions among these characters illustrate the broader implications of financial obsession and the human cost of neglecting basic needs. As the story unfolds, it invites readers to reflect on the complexities of love, poverty, and societal expectations.
Riceyman Steps: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Arnold Bennett
First published: 1923
Genre: Novel
Locale: Riceyman Steps, a suburb of London
Plot: Social realism
Time: 1919
Henry Earlforward, a miserly bookstore owner. He marries a neighboring confectioner whom he believes as miserly as he. He refuses to spend money for electricity, a wedding ring, even for food and medical advice. When he becomes ill, he refuses to enter a hospital because of the expense. He dies the victim of his own parsimony.
Mrs. Violet Arb, thrifty owner of a confectionery shop. She discovers too late that her husband Henry is miserly. Although a doctor sees to it that she goes to the hospital for a needed operation, she has become so weakened by malnutrition that she dies.
Elsie, the Earlforwards' maid. Because she is half-starved, she steals food from her employers. In order to have sixpence to send a messenger to inquire about her mistress, she has to steal the money from her miserly master. After the Earlforwards'deaths, she goes to work, along with her sweetheart, for Dr. Raste.
Joe, Elsie's sweetheart. He turns up at the bookstore shabbily dressed, sick, and just released from jail. Elsie nurses him back to health while concealing him in the Earlforwards' quarters. He goes to work for Dr. Raste. He and Elsie plan to marry.
T. T. Riceyman, the dead uncle who left the bookstore to Henry.
Dr. Raste, the medical doctor who tries to save the life of Earlforward's wife and befriends Elsie and Joe.
Mr. Belrose and Mrs. Belrose, the couple who buy Mrs. Arb's shop when she marries Henry. They try to be helpful to the Earlforwards when the latter become ill.