Well, then, what about Peter?

[intrepid--fox.livejournal.com]

Oursin's thoughts about Ann's Marlovian qualities made me think about Peter's. I mean, just how Marlovian is he, when you really think about him? He's scared of heights (can't imagine his naval ancestors gibbering in the rigging, somehow) and this fear, coupled with his pointblank refusal to admit to it, gets him into major strife, like freezing on the cliffs, and feeling pressured into breaking back into the Foley house, all just in case people might suspect something most of them already know anyway.

He's got appalling taste in friends, starting with horrid Hugh and kleptomaniac Dickie as described in Traitor, and extending all the way up to Foley. He and Patrick seem to be friends more through force of circumstance than genuine liking. And you can't help suspecting that his mate Selby at Dartmouth is as dull as ditchwater, can you? Of course, you could argue that poor taste in friends is a trait he shares with Ginty, Karen and possibly Lawrie (Ann doesn't have any friends that we ever see).

Possibly because of all the strongminded siblings he's surrounded by, he's underconfident and has a tendency to be dominated by others (Patrick, Rowan, Giles). And in his turn, he tends to bully other people when he feels he can get away with it, shading into the sadistic when he's acting the part of the chief brigand in Peter's Room.

Although he's good at sailing, there's no particular reason to suspect that he's got anything else which will enable him to make a successful career as a naval officer: he's got no head for navigation, panics under pressure and makes seriously stupid decisions about the best way of handling crises (hmm, we have a large gang of drug-dealing thugs. Tell you what, I'll get a bunch of them to chase me round the countryside brandishing bicycle chains and razors, while you break into their house and my (presumably) virginal and inexperienced young sister is left on her own with a horny and experienced gang-member. What's that? Let the police handle it? Naah.)

Thoughts, anyone?

Comments

[coughingbear]

He's good at socialising with strangers.
He's good at getting other people to do all the work.

Otherwise, I tend to agree that Nicola (absent seasickness) is clearly more Captain material than Peter (and Rowan, inspiring as she does thoughts of the long line of Marlows with their happy happy ships). Though I don't really blame him for Thuggery Affair & not calling in the police soon enough; isn't something set up to make that difficult? (and the story requires it). Not sure if Nick would have called in the police either; she isn't always that likely to confide in the authorities.

[yiskah.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I'd forgotten about the seasickness.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

Phone lines were cut, and Tom Catchpole at the burnt hassocks and cymn books thingy. Oh no, the phone lines weren't cut were they, it was a fault? Also, no proof because of the capsule being in Lawrie's coat.

Actually, that's a point, how differently would Thuggery Affair have gone had Nicola not been staying with Miranda?

[coughingbear]

I think Forest said that if Nicola had been there instead of Lawrie that would have been 'one more brave, resourceful child helping to cope' along with Peter and Patrick, so Lawrie was required to introduce some randomness and panicking into the plot (which she does very effectively).

Peter's non-officerlike qualities come out more with his family, maybe (thinking about him bullying Nick in the kitchen in ?Peter's Room), but his poor judgement of character would be a serious flaw. Is he improving with age, though? Clearly Selby is all right, and he's not the only one to dislike Edwin. And I agree with you that he copes well in Run Away Home.