The Master

As the novel’s narrator and protagonist, Henry, Tóibín’s fictionalized version of the author Henry James, is characterized in large part through his ongoing search for identity and belonging. Henry is an introverted, contemplative man who would rather spend time alone than in society, but he must reconcile his private self with the public image that his social position dictates. He does not always feel that his interests and characteristics align with those of his peers, but he does come to realize that: “[i]t matters to him how he is seen” (20). Because of this contradiction, he often spends more time in the company of others than he would like to. Ultimately, however, he becomes more comfortable with his eccentricity and turns down invitations when he feels that he can do so without offending the would-be host. 

Henry must also learn to define himself as an artist and writer. Although his novels are well read, they are not “popular,” and unlike his contemporary and foil, Oscar Wilde, he finds no success as a dramatist. However, he does come to understand that his psychologically complex and character-driven writing appeals to other intellectuals, even if it is not as widely read as less “serious” examples of literature.