Main Characters
Arthur Winner – A middle-aged small town lawyer. He is the central character.
Hope Winner (deceased) - Arthur’s first wife, who died giving birth to his now teenage daughter. Arthur is troubled by the thought that his second wife is much more sexually responsive.
Clarissa Winner – Arthur’s second wife, who was his daughter’s tennis coach, considerably younger than Arthur. An extended love making passage of the two is both highly praised by some critics, and derided by others.
Arthur Winner, Senior (deceased) – Arthur’s father and (with Noah Tuttle) founder of his law firm. He is referred to as the “Man of Reason”.
Warren Winner (deceased) - Arthur’s elder son who he found ungovernable. He was expelled from boarding school for striking a teacher. The flash back scene where Arthur is told the circumstances of Warren’s death is set at a base similar to that of Guard of Honor. Warren’s death, along with that of several others, was a direct result of his reckless flying in disobedience of orders. He is the reminiscent of Lieutenant Colonel Benny Carricker, one of the key characters in Guard of Honor.
Julius Penrose – Arthur’s partner. Julius’ long reflection of the nature of Catholicism (as he contemplated his wife’s conversion) was one of the more controversial passages in the book.
Read more about this topic: By Love Possessed (novel)
Famous quotes containing the words main and/or characters:
“The main business of religions is to purify, control, and restrain that excessive and exclusive taste for well-being which men acquire in times of equality.”
—Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–1859)
“What makes literature interesting is that it does not survive its translation. The characters in a novel are made out of the sentences. That’s what their substance is.”
—Jonathan Miller (b. 1936)