Jacob's Room

Jacob’s Room persistently resists a coherent portrayal of its protagonist. Jacob Flanders is observed, discussed, and imagined by a revolving cast of characters, but his identity as an individual remains elusive. The narrator repeatedly states that “it is no use trying to sum people up” (153-54) and Jacob remains a mystery from the novel’s first pages to its final paragraph. Through its scattered glimpses of Jacob’s life and feelings, the novel explores the ineffability of individual identity. 

In contrast to the expectations of the traditional novel, where the protagonist’s consciousness or journey often guides the narrative, Jacob’s Room offers a revolving cast, all of whom interpret Jacob in slightly different ways. Betty fawns over her son, even when he is “a very naughty boy” (15). To the elderly Mrs. Jarvis on the train, Jacob is “a powerfully built young man” (25) whom she fears, while these same traits make him admirable to others. Florinda admires his intellect even though she does not understand his interests, while his upper-class companions during the hunt do not seem to accept him fully as one of their own. As these interpretations show, Jacob means different things to different people, none of whom seem to grasp him as a cohesive whole.