Characterization of the hero

Somerset Maugham's novel the Theatre is one of his most famous works. The novel was written in 1937. The novel tells about the life of actress Julia Lambert, about her feelings and how she coped with difficulties. But today I would like to draw attention to one character from this novel. This is Jimmy Langton.

Let's see what the author says about Jimmy Langton.

«A man called James Langton was running a repertory theatre at Middlepool that was attracting a good deal of attention; and after Michael had been with Benson for three years, Jimmie Langton, a fat, bald-headed, rubicund man of forty-five, who looked like one of Rubens' prosperous burghers, had a passion for the theatre. He was an eccentric, arrogant, exuberant, vain and charming fellow. He loved acting, but his physique prevented him from playing any but a few parts, which was fortunate, for he was a bad actor. He could not subdue his natural flamboyance, and every part he played, though he studied it with care and gave it thought, he turned into a grotesque. He broadened every gesture; he exaggerated every intonation. But it was a very different matter when he rehearsed his cast; then he would suffer nothing artificial. His ear was perfect, and though he could not produce the right intonation himself he would never let a false one pass in anyone else».

As we can see, Jimmy Langton was not an ordinary person. I would even say that at first glance he was an unpleasant person. But Jimmy was really good at his job. Reading the novel, I saw that thanks to Jimmy Langton, the main character of the novel, Julia, was able to achieve great success in the theater. It was meeting Jimmy that changed the course of her theatrical life. They met in an unusual way. Julia was a young aspiring actress and toured the province with melodrama. At this time, Jimmy was on vacation and visited various theaters. He saw Julia and invited her to a meeting after the performance, where he offered her a job in his theater, promising that he would make her the most famous actress.

I believe that Jimmy Langton is one of the key characters in the novel that influenced Julia's fate. Thanks to him, she became the most popular actress of her time and learned many things. It was in his theater that she met her future husband. Perhaps in our lives we also meet people who influence our destiny. We don't always like them because they are not ordinary people, but they have the backbone and fortitude, like our hero Jimmy Langton.