Guide Mentor

Character Role Analysis

Mrs. Morel

There's no one in this book who holds greater sway over Paul Morel's thoughts than his mother, Gertrude. Whether Gertie uses this power for good or for evil is definitely up for debate. On the one hand, Mrs. Morel wants Paul to go out into the world and become a great success.

But she doesn't want this so much for Paul's sake as for her own, since Mrs. Morel has some unresolved issues when it comes to thinking she's above the people around her. The fact that Paul's love interest, Miriam Leivers, shares this quality with Gertie is probably one of the things Mrs. Morel dislikes so much about the poor girl.

Gertrude is kind of a huge hypocrite, in case you hadn't noticed.

Anyway, throughout the book, Paul constantly goes to his mother for advice about his love life. And every time, his mother tells him to break things off with the girl he's seeing. At one point in the novel, Mrs. Morel admits to the possibility that she's selfish about Paul.

But that's about as far as she ever gets in terms of self-awareness. Well, at least she tried. Some people don't even get that far.