Jack Hawley Character Analysis in The Real Thing

Jack Hawley is a long-time friend of the artist and has a knack for art criticism. Although he is not a good painter, the artist relies on Jack’s input on his work. In the story, Jack has recently returned home from traveling abroad, where he was getting a fresh artistic perspective. When the artist shows Jack his work depicting Mrs. Monarch and Major Monarch, Jack completely rejects them. Although he struggles to express exactly why he so dislikes the Monarchs and the artist’s work depicting them, he is very clear in his opinion that the artist will ruin his artistic career if he continues to work with them. Even after the artist does dismiss the Monarchs, Jack believes that working with them permanently damaged the artist’s artistic vision.

Jack Hawley Character Timeline in The Real Thing

The timeline below shows where the character Jack Hawley appears in The Real Thing. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

The artist is excited to get input from his long-time friend Jack Hawley , who has recently returned to London from a trip abroad designed to help him... (full context)

Class in England at the End of the 19th Century Theme Icon

The artist ignores Jack Hawley ’s warning. Yet even though he continues to work with the Monarchs, he is losing... (full context)

...never sees them again. He does secure the rest of the Philip Vincent books, but Jack Hawley avows that the Monarchs did the artist “a permanent harm” and changed his art for... (full context)