Gmail / 20. Mr.Golspie
.docMr.Golspie
James Golspie is the most mysterious character in the novel “Angel Pavement” which opens with his arrival & ends with his departure. Priestly endows (наделять ) him with a key role. It is Mr.Golspie who determines the fate of the other characters.
Mr.Golspie is the first to appear in the novel & the author provides us with a detailed description of his appearance. Priestly is a master of description which is usually used to present deep psychological analysis of the characters, to create gloomy reality showing their life conditions. Mr.Golspie is a strong massive figure. He has a formidable(чудовищный) appearance. His distinguishing feature is a tremendous moustache. It is not only huge & long but also horrible & looks like a harbinger (предвестник) of evil & smth ominous (угрожающий). Mr.Golspie resembles Devil who has come down to earth. He is a negative character who causes all the troubles. He never uses his strong character positively, he deliberately hurts others. His inner world is hidden from the reader. We get to know him either from the words of other characters or from his words & behavior. Mr.Golspie frequently uses short abrupt sentences, a great deal of elliptical constructions, vulgarisms & slang expressions that is why he sounds rude & vulgar. He constantly uses such words as ‘hell, devil, bloody, damn’. The only person he really cares for is his daughter Lena.
Mr.Golspie appears in the Twigg & Dersingham firm & saves their business. He has brought great changes into a boring life of its office workers. Golspie’s arrival breeds many rumors about his personality. He remains a mystery throughout the story. The opinions of other characters of the novel help us to understand his personality better in spite of the fact that their estimations are different.
Mr.Dersingham perceives Golspie as his business partner, as the source of improvement of his business. But he dislikes him as a personality. Golspie’s rude manners repel Dersingham. At the end of the novel he confesses that Golspie was getting on his nerves, he considered him to be an outsider. Moreover, Golspie behaves like a boss in the office.
Ms.Matfield has a kind of affair with Mr.Golspie. She is even in love with him. She finds him unusual & showy (эффектный). He differs from the other men she knows. With his appearance Ms.Matfield’s life becomes full of events. Mr.Golspie invites her to parties, expensive restaurants. He defends her from a drunken man. These deeds impress her greatly. She would even agree to marry him if he proposed. Ms.Matfield treats him as a hero of a play who can manage everything. He makes her feel a real woman.
Turgis is terribly afraid of Mr.Golspie & tries to avoid him. Mr.Smith is also suspicious about him & doesn’t trust him. He is waiting for a dirty trick from him.
Mr.Golspie is too confident, determined & always knows how to act. There are no barriers for him. He is firm & persistent, cruel & merciless, strong morally & physically. He ruins lives of other people. He is a bit impudent (нахальный). But his impudence mixes up with the ability to impress people. He is a very straightforward person.