Saturday

Baxter is the novel’s complex antagonist. While no details are provided about his history, he is in a desperate place in life. He has Huntington’s Disease, which is caused by a genetic mutation that leads to the death of brain cells, particularly those in the basal ganglia region of the brain, which are responsible for movement control, cognition, and emotions. As a result of his disease, Baxter experiences uncontrollable swings in mood and thought that cause him to act out in erratic and dangerous ways.

He becomes fixated on Henry after a car accident involving the two men. This fixation is a reflection on how something that is momentarily annoying but ultimately unimportant to Henry is a matter of utmost pride and importance to Baxter, who has so little left to lose. Baxter’s obsession with Henry is both personal and symbolic: He sees Henry as a representation of everything that is wrong with society, a wealthy and privileged man who is oblivious to the suffering of others. By targeting Henry and his family, Baxter seeks revenge for what he perceives as a personal slight, but also aims to strike a blow against the broader system of inequality and oppression that he feels he is a victim of.

However, Baxter still experiences human emotion and empathy, as exemplified in his response to the poem Daisy recites. At the beginning of her recitation, he is enraged and eager to humiliate her, but by the end he has been completely absorbed into the poem, experiencing a change of mood. The capacity that Baxter shows for depth of feeling ultimately influences Henry’s decision to save his life and not press charges, hoping that he may live out the rest of his troubled days in relative peace.

Daisy Perowne is the daughter of Henry Perowne. She is portrayed as an intelligent, artistic, and independent young woman, who has a passion for poetry. At a young age, her literary education was encouraged by her grandfather, John Grammaticus, who was a renowned poet. She has taken that education and made it uniquely her own, winning a prestigious prize and landing a soon-to-be-published book deal. Although Daisy desires her family’s approval of her work, she does not let Grammaticus’s initial criticisms of her work sway her from her career, showing that, like her parents, she is fully committed to her work.

Henry and Daisy have a contentious relationship, since Henry takes a very factual, analytical approach to the world and Daisy sees the world through the sensual, intuitive eyes of a poet. This difference in perspective leads to an impassioned disagreement about the impending invasion in Iraq: Daisy is vehemently opposed to the war because of the dire chain of events she believes it will set off, while her father supports the war as a means of advancing human rights. Daisy’s character serves to highlight the tension between the younger generation’s idealistic political and social views and the pragmatic approach of the older generation. In addition, her independent and unconventional lifestyle abroad also contrasts with Henry’s more conventional and habitual life in the city.

At the end of the novel, when Daisy is forced to remove her clothes, the characters all realize that she is pregnant. Though they are too overwhelmed to deal with the information at first, in the final chapter they begin to process and accept that their family dynamic will soon be shifting. As a member of the younger generation, Daisy will be the harbinger of necessary change through her new relationship and child. Her pregnancy serves to highlight the importance of family, the complexities of relationships, and the inevitability of change and variation in life.

Henry’s wife, Rosalind Perowne, is portrayed as a lawyer working for a newspaper who is also deeply committed to her work. She is intelligent and successful, but nurtures her husband’s more playful side, such as encouraging him to purchase the Mercedes, and teasing him about his shabby squash kit.

Rosalind lost her mother at a young age and held on very closely to the memory of her mother in her grief. When Henry began his courtship of her, he also felt like he was courting her mother’s ghost. When she is hospitalized for a tumor, she meets Henry, and their burgeoning relationship begins to displace the ever-present awareness of her mother. Henry realizes that he has caused a significant shift in her consciousness. Rosalind’s openness to this change, however, is what allows for their successful marriage and happy domestic life.

During Baxter’s break-in, he manipulates the family into obeying him by holding a knife to Rosalind’s throat. Rosalind’s bravery and strength in the face of death are another one of her defining characteristics; she is not afraid of death when faced with it. Henry takes refuge in his wife’s strength and listens to her counsel when they consider how to respond to their daughter’s pregnancy. Their marriage is portrayed as balanced and fair.

Theo Perowne is the 18-year-old son of Henry Perowne. He is a free spirit who loves music and plays blues guitar. Theo is also the youngest character in the novel, and still leads a relatively carefree life under his parents’ roof, demonstrated by his sleeping in late every day. When Henry thinks of the future, he knows that his son will soon move out and begin his own life elsewhere. However, by the end of the novel Theo heroically aids his father in pushing Baxter down the stairs, showing that he has already begun his ascent into adulthood.

Like his sister, his interest in his profession was first planted by his grandfather, John Grammaticus, who introduced him to the blues. As a musician, the motif of music that is present throughout Saturday culminates in Theo’s performance of a new song, which inspires feelings of euphoria and connection to others in Henry, like Baxter’s connection to Daisy’s poem. Theo’s love of the blues also highlights the power of music as a form of communication and connection. Through his music, Theo is able to connect with others, both within his family and outside of it. His performances provide a means of bringing people together, and the music creates a connection to the deeper meaning of being human.