42 pages • 1 hour read
Kazuo IshiguroThe Buried Giant
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2015A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Character Analysis
Axl
Axl, along with Beatrice, is one of the two central protagonists of the story. He is an old man and the husband of Beatrice, who he sets out with to find their son. He remains kind and devoted to the needs of his wife and the other characters throughout the novel. Due to the mist, little is known about Axl’s past until the end of the novel, when it is revealed that he was once a knight of King Arthur. He is more cunning than many would suspect of him and is learned in the art of battle. He believes that innocents should be protected from the atrocities of war. Much of his character celebrates his love for Beatrice, who he must let go at the end of the novel.
Beatrice
The embodiment of love and kindness, Beatrice is often referred to as “princess” by Axl, and there are hints that she might have been a princess in the past. She journeys with Axl to find her son. She carries with her a pain in her side that is a symptom of a fatal illness.It is her ability to disarm others with her kindness and curiosity that allows all of the characters in the novel to move forward in a positive manner. She worries throughout the novel that, without their memory, she and Axl will not remember their love for each other. At the end of the novel, with the mist gone and memory restored, she takes comfort in the knowing that, with her memory of their love, she and Axl will be together eternally.
Wistan
Wistan is a very secretive character in the novel who manages to hide his true knowledge and intentions until the end of the narrative. He is a formidable and cunning Saxon warrior, raised by the Britons. Because of his experience amongst Britons, he struggles to hate them the way he feels he should. His mission is to kill Querig, the dragon, and free up the memories of the Saxon people so that they may take revenge on the Britons.
Edwin
Edwin, a young Saxon boy, remains hypnotized for much of the novel by a dragon bite he suffers from, and which causes him to hear the voice of Querig as the voice of his mother. Wistan recognizes great potential as both a warrior and hunter in Edwin and takes Edwin on as his apprentice. Edwin is brave for his age, and desires to prove himself worthy of the training he desires. Edwin proves vital to the outcome of the story, as he leads Wistan to the dragon. The end of the novel suggests that he, too, will have to deal with his feelings toward the Britons.
Gawain
Gawain is an old knight of King Arthur, appearing for some of the novel as a Don Quixote figure. He travels with his old battle horse, Horace. His true mission—to protect Querig and keep her alive—isn’t revealed until the end of the novel. He struggles psychologically with the past atrocities committed by Arthur’s Britons against the Saxons. He shows kindness and chivalry throughout the novel, even while his own motives may be unsavory. He believes in his allegiance to the King at all costs, and he dies for the oath he swore to Arthur.
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By Kazuo Ishiguro
