G. M. Clay Character Analysis in Cloudstreet

G. M. Clay is a World War II veteran and the owner of a shop near Cloudstreet. He becomes Oriel’s competition for a brief period, and Oriel is determined to make her own shop more popular, as she disapproves of Clay’s use of his military service as an advertisement for his shop. She eventually runs him out of business by perfecting a vanilla ice cream recipe and selling the treat during the summer. But Oriel becomes racked with guilt when she realizes that she’s caused Clay to leave town and abandon his wife alone with the children. Before he leaves, Clay also takes out his anger on Dolly, who had been secretly dating him for some time.

G. M. Clay Character Timeline in Cloudstreet

The timeline below shows where the character G. M. Clay appears in Cloudstreet. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...to wipe out her general store’s local competition. She visits the nearby shop owned by G. M. Clay , who advertises his military service on a sign in front of his store. Oriel... (full context)

Religion and the Supernatural Theme Icon

...productivity. She even plans to develop an original ice cream recipe that’s sure to run G. M. Clay out of business in the summer. Lester keeps up with his wife’s increasing demands, but... (full context)

...in the city. She begins having sex with a man who turns out to be G. M. Clay from the shop down the street. They enjoy each other’s company for a while, but... (full context)

Chance, Choice, and Personal Responsibility Theme Icon

...Sam at the station, telling him to try to control his wife. The woman is G. M. Clay ’s wife, and she lets Sam know that Dolly is cheating on him. Sam brushes... (full context)

...with a razor in his hands, wondering if he’s too cowardly to strike back at G. M. Clay for having an affair with Dolly. But he realizes that what he’s feeling is loss,... (full context)

That summer, Oriel and the rest of the Lambs successfully run G. M. Clay out of business with their own original vanilla ice cream recipe. The entire neighborhood goes... (full context)

Dolly quietly tends to her wounds, which G. M. Clay inflicted before he left town. Rose gives her some ice, cautiously glad that an argument... (full context)