Beryl Bainbridge (1934-2010) was a famous writer born in the port city of

Liverpool in north-west England, considered one of Britains best novelists. She

published more than 15 novels, including tragicomedies An Awfully Big
Adventure, historical books: The Crimean War, Titanic, Master Georgie
and several novels as Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie which drew directly on
Bainbridges own experiences. The gritty spirit of writers home city expressed
by her books, blended humour, tragedy and absurd. All the books Ive written,
even the historical ones, came from the place of my birth, the characters based on
my parents and relations she said once.
Through the story Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie, the author intends to
reflect the life of a family as a representative of the entire low class society. The
course of the events is penetrated by the idea that in early 19 th centuries many
workers had to move from poor districts to cities and fit in another society due to
modernization. The Hendersons are an example of an estranged family who failed
to bound harmonious relationships in the middle of social imbalance. On the one
hand, Charles Henderson suffers because of his family misunderstandings and
impossibility to fulfill family shortfalls, but on the other he is consumed by the
uncomfortable big city life spent in his apartment. Two weeks before Christmas,
his wife working as a cleaning lady, is given 6 tickets to the theatre instead of
money, and all the family is roaring around at this news. The event will be
preceded by many quarrels, Charles monologues, and the watching of Peter Pan
pantomime which will end up with Charles death.
Though the Hendersons appear as a social group in the text, they cannot be
considered collective characters because they are individualized through an
indirect method of characterization. The author is not concerned with the revealing
of the aesthetic features but with their moral, individual, civic values. Thus, it is
created the image of a middle aged man- Charles Henderson who descends from a
low class society and is preoccupied with daily problems within the family as well
as earning money.

What happens to Charles may be considered the essence of the work to

emphasize its themes and general mood, thats why he may be truly considered the
protagonist of the story. The power of the protagonists personality which he
shows in the story as an individual, active character helps the narrator to build
two psychological worlds: one viewed by Charles individual point of view and
another to represent the distinctions between him and the rest of the characters
reflected by their contradictions. The protagonist estranges from the unsatisfactory
reality and his family, and lives almost with the past, weighing his present
apartment and family situation with his old house. This fact makes him sad and
emotional, stirring his inner conflict and isolation- I have always been a lost boy.
The disputes between Charles and his son, make it obvious that father has no high
education and son is superior, somehow replacing the head of the family, even his
wife takes the sons side- Perhaps you are right, son. The inability to cope with his
son and put him in his place makes the father nervous and uncontrolled sometimes.
To this extent he fails to build strong relationships with his family, and gains their
disregard instead. Charles is reticent, he becomes analytical (compares his old
house to his actual apartment, analyzes the characters of the play and tries to find
similarities between what is happening on stage and what happens with him in
reality) he is consumed by problems. As a round character Charles may be found
in both Mister Darling and Captain Hooks features, from one point of view he is
sensitive, profound, nostalgic and kind-loves and protects his grandson, has an
attraction for home-felt things, family unions and customs, but from another he is
mercantile, rude and agry :By heck! I am the blasted breadwinner!
Mrs. Henderson plays an important role in the text, as she introduces the
theme and the conflict of the story. Her actions are quite suggestive: she accepts
tickets for the theatre though preferring money and still protesting at her husbands
complaints about agreeing on tickets, she criticizes his quarrelsome behavior,
excludes him from attending the theatre and takes her sons side in disputes, the
inattention with which she treats her husbands disease characterizes her as an
untrustworthy and careless wife. Otherwise, she appears as a calm, thrifty woman
who fights against those who disturbs the peace in the bosom of the family.
The major character, Alec takes part in the events of the story and fulfills

the distinctions between two worlds which determine the state of the relation
father and son-Like fathers in real life. Theyre always out to destroy their
children. In comparison to his father, Alec has high education, is smart, analytical
and superior: explains to his parents things and is sure that they are not up to
understand them, criticizes their previous lifestyle while living in a slum and is
angry at his father for unexplainable reasons. Alec may be regarded as the
antagonist of the story which will participate on triggering the main characters
death : .. caustic remarks addressed to him earlier by Alec brought on another
attack of indigestion. Because of Alec, there appears a Man vs. Man conflict in the
text. The father and son cannot decide who is the head of the family : I am the
blasted breadwinner! The difference of schooling level between Charles and Alec,
stirs the sons derision, his patronizing attitude revealed by sarcasm: You do
surprise me! Along with Mrs. Henderson he treats Charles as a breadwinner, not as
a father. The conflict between the family members is not disclosed only by the
actions like: excluding Charles from attending the theatre, or running with the car
over his foot, but also by language means: verbs revealing sarcasm: to sneer, to
scoff, to hoot; verbs denoting aggression: to thump; orders and commands: shut up,
get over; verbal irony: their old house called by Alec Never-Never Land.
Another antagonist in the story may be considered the physical setting,
which triggers Charless inner conflict, his disease, depression. The life in his
apartment is compared by Charles as though living in a cabin of an aeroplane, no
terrace, no garden where to walk, no back door, but be stuck up in the air, on a par
with the clouds. Hence, descends Charles isolation, his gloomy mood,
contemplative monologue, worsening disease and irritation.
Conflicts, monologue and dialog of the story, in general build a strong,
expressive atmosphere that underlines the approaching death. The atmosphere
which is concerned with the revealing the characters statement is tense,
discontented, nervous, enraged. It is penetrated by storys moods reflected in
Charles frustration about those 6 tickets which his wife accepted instead of
money, his disease, being discontent about his hell hole apartment, Alecs
nervous attitude towards his father, his violent behavior. On the other side, the

tones of the story prevail from meditative, reflective to ironic, insolent, derisive,
scornful, according to the situation revealed by characters actions: Charles
monologue, Alecs remarks, his commands.
The text owns a comprehensive exposition which presents the main
characters and their background: Alec, Mr. and Mrs. Henderson which are simple
workers ; as well as secondary character: Angela Bisson who represents the upper
class society. The exposition hints to the main theme: family misunderstandings; it
makes the reader acknowledged with the time of the actions: two weeks before
Christmas and the physical setting: Empire Theatre and the indoor
place(apartment).The exposition ends by family quarrel due to the discussions
about the theatre pantomime.
The rising action denotes the most important, evidential moments in the story and
includes the quarrel in the apartment between Mrs. Henderson and Charles who
was going to be excluded from going to the theatre, the rumpus in the lift by reason
of Alec thumping Charles grandson across the ear, the carry on over the parking
car because of Alec who run deliberately with the car over Charles foot, and the
quarrel during the interval that lead to the turning point, and caused Charles
death which had no preceding action and no resolution.
The story as a whole combines both dramas features and irony, both the
verdical reality and psychological past, it involves the projection of another work
(pantomime) in the real, background events in order to reflect more accurately the
idea of the text-family, as a cell of the society may fail to build strong relationships
in the midst of social changes. What happens on the stage within the story stands
to dramatize the characters situation. The Peter Pan pantomimes identification
with real Beryl Bainbridges characters, is to attribute to her them unusual,
symbolical features never seen before in other works. Charles Henderson is not a
simple lost boy whose life failed, he also is a breadwinner who is not appreciated
and who was separated by his old, precious house due to society changes he cannot
accept, but which are supported by his son-Alec. As a modern adaptation to Peter
Pan, Bainbridges story aims to determine everybody to look deeply in his family
and find himself in the pantomimes characters. The reader will enhance eagerly
the text, as it consists of both funny and serious moments which makes you
ponder about life and smile at its tragicomedy features.