Saturday, 3 February 2024

Only Time Will Tell - Characters

 


SPOILERS!!!

These are the characters in the novel for future reference:

Regular characters

  • Sir Walter Barringon (1866) is the patriarch of the family. Walter went to the Boer War and Jack saved his life. That is why he gave him a job at the docks. Walter is a good man, and it is thanks to him that Harry gets a place on the SSDevonian.
  • Mary Barrington is Sir Walter's wife.
  • Hugo Barrington (1896) is Walter's son. He is sly and selfish. Hugo and Maisie sleep together when they are in a work outing, and when Maisie falls pregnant, she is not sure if the baby is his. Hugo is responsible for Arthur Clifton's death when the man gets trapped in the hull and he refuses to send someone to check. Then he tries to bribe Stan, which is a dirty trick to send him to jail. When Hugo realises who Harry is, he hires a detective to go after Maisie, and he does everything to create obstacles for Maisie and Harry. 
  • Elizabeth Barrington (1900)  is Hugo's wife. When he learns about Hugo fathering Harry, she starts divorce proceedings.
  • Giles Barrington (1920) is Hugo and Elizabeth's son. He meets Harry at school and they become good friends. Giles is good to Harry when other rich children try to humiliate him. Their friendship remains strong throughout the years.
  • Emma Barrington (1921) is Giles's sister. She falls for Harry, and they become engaged to be married. The wedding doesn't take place when Old Jack reveals that Emma and Harry may be related as Harry may be Hugo's son.
  • Grace Barrington (1923) is Giles and Emma's sister.
  • Harold Tancock (1871) is Maisie's father.
  • Vera Tancock is Maisie's mother.
  • Stanley Tackock (1897) is Maisie's brother. He doesn't approve of Harry studying and exerts a bad influence on him when he is very young.
  • Maisie Clifton (1901) is one of the main characters in the novel. She gets married to Arthur, who dies inside a ship at the docks. Maisie lives her life for her son, who she believes is Hugo Barrington's son. She and Hugo slept together before she got married. Maisie is resource and started working as a waitress in a café and then the Royal Hotel. She managed to buy the café when the owner retired, but that venture failed when the café burnt down. So Maisie had to accept the offer of one of her previous customers to work for him in his nightclub, but she kept the information secret from her family. When Harry found out what her mother did for a living, he got upset and it was Emma who made him see what sacrifices his mother had made for him.
  • Arthur Clifton (1898 - 1921) was Maisie's husband.
  • Harry Clifton is Maisie's son and the main character in the novel. He proves to be a hard working boy who excels at school. Harry falls for Emma, and when he discovers that she could be his half-sister, he gets a job in a ship, which is torpedoed. When Harry recovers from his injuries, he discovers that his fellow officer is dead and decides to take his identity to make things easier for those back home. When the ship reaches America and he gives his new name, he is arrested for murder. 
  • Al Deakins is Harry and Giles' good friend. He is very intelligent and studies all the time. 
  • Eddie Atkins is one of Maisie's customers at the hotel. He opens a nighclub and offers Maisie a job there. At first Maisie refuses but when she loses her job at the hotel, she has no option but work for him. 
  • Patrick Casey was a customer at the Royal Hotel who Maisie dated for a while. He helped her with her finances when she decided to buy Milly's café. Maisie was in love with him, but their relationship finished when his job took him somewhere else.
  • Lord Harvey is Elizabeth Barrington's father.

Characters in the novel:

  • Reverend Watts is the priest of the church Maisie goes to
  • Miss Eleanor Monday directs the choir. Harry joins the choir, and Miss Monday's requirement that he should be able to read and write makes him apply himself at school. It is thanks to Miss Monday that Harry gets a scholarship for St Bede's school. Eleanor goes to Cornwall with his friend Miss Tilly, but she dies.
  • Mr Halcombe is Harry's first teacher who helps him study for his exam to gain the scholarship for St Bede's School. 
  • Noel Frobisher is Harry's housemaster at St Bede's.
  • Fisher is the prefect that bullies Harry. 
  • Vera Nettles is the woman in charge of the cleaners at the docks.
  • Miss Tilly is the owner of the café who employs Maisie as a waitress, and then she sells the café to her. 
  • Dr Paget is the boys' sixth-form master
  • Captain Arnold Havens was the captain on the SSDevonians
  • Jim Patterson was Havens' first officer.
  • Tom Bradshaw was the second officer. He kept himself to himself. When he died, Harry decided to take his identity, and when in America Harry identified himself as Bradshaw he was arrested for murder.
  • Kristin Craven is the nurse who looks after Harry after the ship is torpedoed.
  • Richard is Kristin's boyfriend

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Mansfield Park 2(Chapters 3 - 16)

 SPOILERS!!!