Over Sea, Under Stone

Jane is the second-oldest of the Drew siblings and is also one of the novel’s protagonists. She is characterized as clever, responsible, and emotionally intuitive. In the novel’s early chapters, she can reliably discern people’s true moral character, and her intuition proves especially useful in the chapters when the story’s antagonists have not yet revealed their true nature and intentions. In fact, Jane is the one who initially warns her brothers that Mr. Hastings is not to be trusted, and she immediately discerns Norman and Polly Withers’s deceitful nature.

Notably, Jane reflects behaviors that were traditionally associated with girls during the 1960s. For example, she is concerned about cleanliness and politeness, and she is more apprehensive of danger than her brothers. When they find the cave, Jane stays outside while the boys go in search of the grail, and she is also shown to be the most responsible sibling, deferring to authority figures when Simon and Barney abandon themselves to their more reckless urges. However, although the worldview of the author’s own cultural background results in distinct limitations to Jane’s agency, the character also demonstrates bravery and intelligence and makes significant contributions to the quest for Bedwin’s grail.

Simon is the oldest of the Drew siblings and the third protagonist of the novel. He is more authoritative than his siblings, often acting as the leader of the group. When the children are exploring the Grey House, for example, Simon appoints himself as the commander of the expedition. He occasionally takes an arrogant stance toward his younger siblings, feigning authority when he feels insecure or when he is trying to prove himself. After the burglary, Simon is proud to have discovered the crime and believes that he deserves an important role in the investigation, but this conviction actually highlights his youth and naïveté. Later, after failing to bring any useful items to the standing stones, Simon makes it a point to rectify his mistake by bringing a candle and some string when the siblings visit the cave. This foresight allows him to produce a box of matches “with the smug flourish of a conjuror” (205) when Jane and Barney complain that they are ill-equipped to explore the tunnels.

However, despite his occasional shows of pride, Simon rallies to Jane and Simon’s side in the end and is protective of the other two. This dynamic is especially evident when Simon worries over Barney’s safety in the cave. Ultimately, the three siblings work well together and demonstrate the importance of maintaining their sense of compassion and solidarity in the face of adversity.

Great-Uncle Merry acts as Simon, Jane, and Barney’s mentor throughout the novel. Although they are not directly related, the old man is a close friend of the Drew family, and the children often call him “Gumerry” for short. Smart, protective, and eccentric, Merry is a respected professor and plays the role of a doting great-uncle, but his obscure past and enigmatic behavior enhance the air of mystery that surrounds him. This becomes apparent in his initial description in Chapter 1: 

Nobody knew very much about Great-Uncle Merry, and nobody ever quite dared to ask. He did not look in the least like his name. He was tall, and straight, with a lot of very thick, wild, white hair. In his grim brown face the nose curved fiercely, like a bent bow, and the eyes were deep-set and dark. How old he was, nobody knew (3). 

Great-Uncle Merry’s physical appearance and his enigmatic role in the narrative render him a stereotypical version of the older mentor figure that recurs frequently in fantasy literature, similarly to Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings. His erratic behavior hints at his mystical, adventurous side, for as the narrative states: “He would often disappear for a long time, and then suddenly come through the Drews’ front door […], announcing that he had found a lost valley in South America, a Roman fortress in France, or a burned Viking ship buried on the English coast” (3). 

Additionally, Great-Uncle Merry’s connection to the Cornish landscape hints at his true identity as the legendary Merlin from Arthurian legend. Indeed, he is described as being “like the hills, or the sea, or the sky; something ancient, but without age or end” (3), and this imagery foreshadows the revelation of his identity as the legendary Merlin. Significantly, he positions himself as the children’s guardian, and although he does not take an active part in their quest, he intervenes to rescue them from Mr. Hastings at the last minute.