The Works of Love: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Works of Love: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the lives of several key figures, exploring their struggles and failures in pursuit of love, happiness, and fulfillment. Central to the narrative is Will Jennings Brady, a man marked by a series of transient jobs and personal failures. Orphaned young and lacking in education, Brady's journey takes him from the Nebraska plains to urban settings, ultimately leading to his demise in Chicago, highlighting his inability to connect with his family and achieve his dreams.
Ethel Czerny Bassett, Brady's first wife, showcases a contrasting dynamic, as her religious background and sexual struggles create tension within their marriage. Their union is further strained when Brady's infidelity pushes Ethel to leave him. Meanwhile, their adopted son, Will Brady, Jr., represents a glimmer of hope and resilience, thriving despite his father's shortcomings.
Gertrude Long, Brady's second wife, adds another layer to the exploration of relationships; her initial attraction to Brady fades as his ambitions overshadow their connection, ultimately leading her back to her old life. Complementing these characters is T. P. Luckett, whose influence on Brady's career choices reflects the interconnectedness of their aspirations. Collectively, these characters paint a poignant picture of love's complexities and the often harsh realities of human relationships.
The Works of Love: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Wright Morris
First published: 1952
Genre: Novel
Locale: Nebraska, California, and Chicago
Plot: Regional
Time: The 1880's to the 1930's
Will Jennings Brady, a hardworking man who holds a number of jobs, but none for very long. A onetime handyman, night clerk in a hotel, hotel manager, chicken farmer, egg entrepreneur, and waybill sorter, he finally ends up as a department store Santa Claus. The son of Nebraska pioneers, orphaned at an early age, he lacks culture and education. A taciturn and kind but naïve man who does not drink, smoke, gamble, or swear, he embarks on a quest that takes him from the desolate western plains to Omaha, then to California, and on to Chicago in search of his airy dreams of wealth, happiness, and love. He attains none of these. Along the way, his fortunes briefly rise but mainly fall. As a husband and father, he is inept and incapable of understanding the needs of his family. After repeated failures, both as a businessman and as a family man, he turns Will, Jr., over to foster parents and heads for Chicago, where he dies penniless and alone, after falling into a sewage canal.
Ethel Czerny Bassett, a widow who marries Will Brady. A Bohemian immigrant, quiet and somewhat religious, she relies on Will's help after the death of her husband, owner of the hotel where Brady works. After marrying Brady, she goes with him on a honeymoon to Colorado Springs, but she spends her nights there rolled up in a sheet, afraid to consummate the marriage. After returning to Nebraska, she still experiences sexual problems. Although Brady provides her with many domestic amenities, including a large house, she does not sleep with him. After discovering Brady's affair with a cigar-counter girl in Omaha, she leaves.
Will Brady, Jr., a baby adopted by Will Brady after a runaway prostitute abandoned him on Brady's doorstep. Despite his father's ineptitude as a parent, Will, Jr., does well in school, joins the Boy Scouts, and cultivates a love for nature. Often perplexed by his father's odd behavior, he spends much of his time living elsewhere, mostly in foster homes.
Gertrude Long, Will Brady's second wife, a cigar-counter girl and a prostitute. The young and immature daughter of vaudevillian actors, she first meets Brady in a hotel in Omaha. Attracted initially by his good looks and unusual behavior, she lets the relationship develop and marries him, only to discover that he is no more able to fulfill her needs than he was able to fulfill those of his first wife. Brady, preoccupied with his dreams of riches and power, spends all of his energy tending to business. Meanwhile, she spends her time idly listening to phonograph records and going to cheap films. Although she pities Brady, she does not love him, and their relationship slowly disintegrates after she joins him in California and begins again to work as a prostitute.
T. P. Luckett, an egg producer and the person in charge of the Union Pacific commissary in Omaha. He persuades Will Brady to give up his hotel job in Calloway and lends him money to move to Murdock to raise chickens for the carriage trade.