The Whalebone Theatre

The son of Rosalind and Willoughby, Digby is Cristabel’s cousin, but she views him as her brother. Digby is described as “a boy of treetops and light” (482). The phrase encapsulates his blend of adventurous spirit, optimism, and sensitivity. More empathetic than Cristabel, he is the only member of the Seagrave family who does not refer to Flossie as “the Veg.” During their childhood, Digby is Cristabel’s faithful companion, confidante, and sounding board for creative ideas. He also shares Cristabel’s love of playacting.

Within the broader family dynamics, Digby is treated as the golden child and both Rosalind and the Seagrave children dote on him. However, as the reluctant heir of Chilcombe, he embodies The Complexities of Familial Bonds, for he feels that if he accepts the burden of this role, he must repress his creativity and sexuality in order to fulfil it. Additionally, the role of heir of Chilcombe would require him to support inequitable societal structures rather than authentically expressing his disapproval of them. Digby’s experiences during World War II emphasize The Transformative Force of War, as his optimistic nature leaves him unprepared for the brutality of conflict. Inevitably, the trauma he experiences leaves him irrevocably changed. At the same time, working undercover allows him to live an authentic life that honors his values and sexuality. By rejecting his inheritance, he becomes a revolutionary and finds love with Jean-Marc before dying at the age of 22.

Like her half-sister, Cristabel, Flossie feels unwanted from birth. To Rosalind, Flossie is an unwelcome reminder of the husband she dislikes. Rosalind’s uncharitable claim that the infant Flossie looks like a vegetable morphs into an unkind nickname over time, and almost everyone in the family calls her “the Veg” when she is a child. Flossie’s acceptance of this disparaging nickname throughout most of her childhood indicates her lack of self-esteem.

Flossie is a warm and compassionate character. However, she is unable to appreciate her attractive qualities as she perceives Rosalind to be an ideal template of womanhood. Comparing herself to her beautiful yet cold mother, Flossie feels she cannot measure up. She is also somewhat excluded from the tight bond between Cristabel and Digby as she does not share their adventurous spirit. Consequently, she remains on the sidelines of Chilcombe’s daily life.

Flossie’s character illustrates the wartime experience on the home front, as she remains in England during World War II and joins the WLA. Like her siblings, Flossie experiences The Transformative Force of War when she becomes the de facto manager of Chilcombe and discovers her underlying strength and competence. Her romance with Hans Krause, the German prisoner of war, demonstrates her increasing comfort in expressing her desires. No longer attempting to emulate her mother, Flossie becomes a more natural hostess than Rosalind ever was, and she even organizes music nights to entertain the resident troops. Ultimately, Flossie is portrayed as the rightful inheritor of Chilcombe as she adapts to social change and puts the country house to practical use.

Jasper is the distant, unaffectionate father of Cristabel and Flossie, husband to his second wife, Rosalind, and the older brother of Willoughby. At the beginning of the novel, he is the owner of Chilcombe and is described as a “rotund widower with an unmanageable beard and a limp” (4). Cristabel perceives her father as a “[g]rumpy, angry man” (4). However, the chapters describing Jasper’s childhood and first brief yet happy marriage to Annabel are designed to evoke a sense of empathy for his character. Overshadowed by his more outgoing brother Willoughby, he received little parental affection as a child, and he repeats this pattern with his own children. The profound grief that lies beneath Jasper’s awkward exterior is illustrated by his desperate attempt to communicate with his first wife’s spirit via a seafront psychic.

Jasper’s character highlights the theme of familial obligations, for his role as Chilcombe’s owner is presented as a burden rather than a privilege. Jasper’s childhood involves preparing incessantly for the role, while his brother Willoughby lives a carefree existence in comparison. The expectation that Jasper must produce an heir to Chilcombe prompts his second, unhappy marriage to Rosalind. Ultimately, the narrative suggests that this miserable arrangement and the weight of Jasper’s responsibilities indirectly kill him, for he dies in a riding accident while intoxicated.

Rosalind is 23 when she marries widower Jasper Seagrave. Her primary characteristics are vanity and shallowness. However, the narrative soon reveals that she has been shaped by the limits of traditional societal expectations. Rosalind is brought up to believe that marrying advantageously is the only form of power that a woman can exert. Her decision to settle for Jasper stems from the fact that many younger, more eligible bachelors were killed in World War I. Despite Rosalind’s eagerness to marry well, she is naively unprepared for what marriage entails, and she is somewhat deflated to realize that her sole purpose is to produce an heir. Ignorant of the facts of life, she undergoes a traumatic coming-of-age at Chilcombe as she experiences sex, pregnancy, and childbirth as a series of violations. For example, upon realizing that she is pregnant, she reflects, “There was something in her. They had put something in her. How dare they intrude upon her like that” (37).

As she eventually grows into the role and affectations of “the lady of the house” (22), Rosalind comes to epitomize the theme of Playacting as a Societal Microcosm. Uncertain of what is required, she learns her role by studying the advice in an array of magazines and advertisements. Her life is essentially purposeless, and she attempts to create meaning by hosting lavish parties and buying the accoutrements she feels a lady needs. As the role becomes second nature, Rosalind realizes she has no sense of identity beyond the part she is playing. When Willoughby abandons her, she seeks validation from the men she meets in London’s nightclubs and is unceremoniously killed by a bomb at the Café de Paris.

Willoughby is a foil to his older brother Jasper in appearance and character. Physically attractive and charismatic, he has a smile that is described as “the blinding burst of a photographer’s flash powder” (22). However, Willoughby is amoral and hedonistic by temperament. Disdaining tradition and convention, Willoughby represents the intrusive aspects of modernity when he arrives at Chilcombe in his flashy motor car. His carefree lifestyle reflects his role as the “spare” to Jasper’s “heir.”

A restless, adventurous character, Willoughby feels aimless when his World War I service ends, so he amuses himself by indulging in “bachelor activities” with Jasper’s wife, Rosalind. However, Jasper’s unexpected death leads to unanticipated consequences when Rosalind becomes pregnant with Digby, a circumstance that compels him to reluctantly marry her. Like his brother before him, Willoughby comes to represent the weight of familial obligations as he shoulders the burden of the domesticity that he always avoided. As the narrative states, “There was Chilcombe, and there was Rosalind inside it, wanting things done, fussing with furnishings” (205). Ultimately, Willoughby gives up his ownership of Chilcombe when he abandons the house and retreats to Ireland.

Jasper’s first wife, Annabel, is Rosalind’s foil in both looks and temperament. When Jasper first meets her, Annabel’s lack of interest in her own looks is demonstrated by the “black hair escaping in wiry coils from her hairnet and a trace of mud across one cheekbone” (61). Jasper and Annabel enjoy a short but happy marriage before she dies giving birth to Cristabel. The happiness of this marriage serves to illustrate the disastrous incompatibility of Jasper and Rosalind’s subsequent union.

Maudie begins the novel as the Seagraves’ 14-year-old kitchen maid. A witness to the children’s neglect, she is often the only person to see to their physical and emotional needs. Maudie comforts Cristabel as a child and informs her about adult concerns such as the imminent arrival of a brother. As a self-sufficient orphan, Maudie is “an excellent mentor” to the Seagrave children. Determined to better herself, she learns how to read and write, teaching Cristabel in the process. As a servant, she also demonstrates a notable lack of subservience. As Willoughby observes, she “has never learnt to remove herself as the other servants do” (226). Maudie’s physical appearance underlines her unapologetic refusal to make herself unobtrusive. She has “strong limbs, thick eyebrows and a mass of frizzy brown hair barely constrained beneath a maid’s cap” (109).

Snippets from Maudie’s diary add a provocative tone to the narrative. The entries demonstrate Maudie’s sharp insight into the behavior of her employers and an enduring passion for Willoughby. Within these key passages, Maudie’s sensuality, longing for adventure, and lack of shame about her lovers are vividly conveyed. During World War II, she takes pride in her role as a Fire Guard and wears her uniform even when she is not on duty. The wartime job takes her away from Chilcombe and allows her to discover that she can do more than wait on the rich. Significantly, Maudie permanently discards her maid’s role after the war and travels to Ireland to find Willoughby.

Betty is Rosalind Seagrave’s lady’s maid. Despite being the same age as Rosalind, Betty mothers her employer. When Rosalind is oblivious to her pregnancy, Betty gently explains the situation. Old-fashioned in her views, Betty accepts her station in life and shows no resentment at the responsibility of pandering to a rich woman’s every whim. Betty marries Bill Brewer, the Seagraves’ land agent. Together, they have a son. Devoted to Rosalind, she is devasted by her mistress’s death, and her traditionalist views cause her to disapprove of Flossie’s decision to introduce lodgers to Chilcombe. She maintains a nostalgic view of the country house as it was under Rosalind’s care, conveniently forgetting the household chaos caused by Rosalind’s drunken parties.

Mademoiselle Aubert is the longest-lasting of a series of French governesses employed to teach Cristabel and Flossie. Rosalind approves of her as she does not consider the Frenchwoman sufficiently attractive to be a rival. A strict teacher, she has no interest in being liked. The French governess’s effective teaching methods and visits to France with the children equip Cristabel with the fluency in French that will eventually serve her well in her role as an undercover agent.

Willoughby’s friend, Colonel Peregrine Drake, works for the War Office. In the first two acts of the novel, Perry appears to be a minor, insignificant figure. Although a frequent presence at Chilcombe, his manner is so unobtrusive he is barely noticeable. However, Perry’s true political power becomes apparent with the outbreak of World War II, when he emerges from the shadows. His ability to secure Cristabel’s assignment as an undercover agent for the SOE indicates his stature in the War Office.

Taras Kovalsky is a Russian avant-garde painter who befriends the Seagraves when the Cristabel is fairly young. Keen to be perceived as a fashionable patron of the arts, Rosalind offers Taras a cottage on the Chilcombe estate. With his “black eyes, [and] dramatic beard” (146), the Russian artist has an intimidating physical presence, causing Cristabel to compare him to Poseidon when she sees him emerging naked from the sea. Taras becomes a critical mentor in Cristabel’s life, for he is the first person to openly admire and validate her strengths. Taras recognizes Cristabel as an artist in the making and nurtures her imagination. Embodying the importance of creative expression, he is also a disruptive figure who is often frank to the point of rudeness. For example, he questions the foundations on which Chilcombe is built and he points out that Robert Seagrave’s “collection” was gained through the British Empire’s exploitation of other countries and cultures. Although Taras accepts Rosalind’s patronage, he refuses to pander to her; when he finally agrees to paint her portrait, he represents her face as a void, underlining the fragility of her carefully constructed identity.

Cristabel reveres Taras, but her perception of him is tarnished when she learns that his “entourage” consists of his wife, lovers, and children from various relationships. The revelation that Taras’s wife, now reduced to cleaning and childcare, was also an artist, emphasizes his innate selfishness. Cristabel’s reassessment of Taras later in life marks a loss of innocence as she recognizes that the great artist has very human flaws.

Leon is the eldest son of Taras and his Belgian wife. He is the leader of “the savages”—a collective epithet that Cristabel applies to all of Taras’s children, who run wild and are often naked. Taras’s children have much in common with the Seagrave children, as they are also an extended family and are left to their own devices. Leon and Cristabel develop a combative but mutual respect which turns into sexual attraction as they grow older. Leon appreciates Cristabel’s courage and lack of submissiveness—qualities that cause other characters to view her as unfeminine.

Philly Fenwick and Hillary Vaughan are humorously drawn, self-consciously bohemian characters. Presenting themselves as fashionably androgynous with identically cropped hair, they are described as “[w]omen made of straight lines, like the illustrations in Rosalind’s magazines” (117). Philly and Hilly make the most of their resemblance to each other, appearing from a distance to be twins. They also play interchangeable roles in Taras’s life as his lovers and models. Despite their claim of being “inseparable,” the narrative hints at a competitive resentment between the two women as they vie for Taras’s attention. Perry’s cynical assertion that Hilly has “cold marital steel in her eyes” (191) is confirmed when she eventually marries Taras. While these characters are presented satirically, Hilly and Philly’s taste for wearing men’s and women’s clothes opens Digby’s eyes to the arbitrariness of gender as a societal construct.