57 pages • 1 hour read
Douglas StuartShuggie Bain
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2020A 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
Hugh “Shuggie” Bain
Shuggie is the novel’s protagonist, though much of the plot follows his mother, Agnes. Shuggie has Agnes’s thick, black hair. Agnes taught him to be prim and proper. She teaches him to speak “proper” English, putting him at odds with much of their society; most people use the Glaswegian dialect and slang. From a young age, it is evident that Shuggie is not like other boys: He is more effeminate and less masculine. His mannerisms and lack of parental figures twice makes him a target for sexual assault, first by an older boy, then by a cab driver.
Shuggie’s Childhood is marked by anxiety and worry for his mother, but he develops from a shy, fearful victim to a stronger character by the end of the novel. We see his development in the way he reacts to abuse—at first accepting it passively, and later fighting back—and in the final moments of his mother’s life when he decides, for once, to let his mother face the fatal consequences of her actions. We see that he doesn’t regret this choice, as he scolds Moira for not appreciating Leanne’s assistance. Though he never openly comes to terms with his sexuality, by the end of the novel, he is at least more comfortable with it.
Agnes Bain
Agnes is Shuggie’s mother and the primary source of the novel’s conflict. Agnes is incredibly beautiful, often compared to Elizabeth Taylor. She has a larger-than-life attitude, fueled by her pride and her constant yearning for something more than she has. The disparity between the life she wants and the life she has leads her to drink, which proves to be her undoing. Agnes’s selfish alcohol abuse becomes a downward spiral that ruins her relationships with everyone but Shuggie, who stays steadfast by her side. Agnes is a deeply troubled person, haunted by abuse, abandonment, and sexual violence from her second husband, Shug, and by strangers she encounters while under the influence.
A tragic figure, Agnes is capable of being a good mother when sober, but she’s rarely sober. The consequences of her addiction spread to her children, and Shuggie is sexually abused in her absence and faces bullying alone. Agnes’s character is marked first by her need to keep up appearances. She is proud to a fault, causing rifts between herself and her peers. Her biggest character shift occurs when Eugene sees the other AA women at a party and thinks them “desperate.” Following the party, Agnes looks at herself and sees the same desperation and outdated style. Having lost the last refuge of her confidence, her looks, she also loses Eugene and spirals into alcoholism until her death.
Hugh “Big Shug” Bain
A philandering taxi driver, Big Shug is Agnes’s second husband and Shuggie’s absentee father. Big Shug was handsome when he was younger, but years spent in a sedentary job, and his thinning hair, have diminished his looks. Despite this, Big Shug views himself as a ladies man, carrying on multiple affairs and maintaining a sense of vanity. Big Shug abandoned his previous wife and children for Agnes, and, in turn, abandons Agnes for another woman. To Agnes, Big Shug is a mentally, physically, and sexually abusive husband. After moving his family to Pithead (without Agnes’s complete awareness of his plans), Big Shug comes home less and less, mainly to eat, sleep, and have sexual relations with Agnes. He is an absentee father to Shuggie; by the time Agnes is hospitalized after slitting her wrists, Shuggie does not even recognize his father.
Alexander “Leek” Bain
Leek is Shuggie’s half-brother, Agnes’s son from her previous marriage with Brendan McGowan. Leek is tall and thin, sporting the large Campbell nose, like his grandfather, Wullie. Leek copes with his deteriorating home situation by hiding away and making himself seem invisible. Leek is a skillful artist, and he dreams of going to art school. He must continually defer his dream due to Agnes’s worsening alcoholism. Catherine’s departure for South Africa after marrying Donald Jr. deeply hurts Leek: they had promised each other that they would get out together. After Shug abandons his family, Leek takes a job. Though he cares deeply for Shuggie, Leek leaves when Agnes turns on him. Unlike Shuggie, Leek believes that there is no hope for his mother’s recovery. After Agnes’s death, Leek and Shuggie gradually lose contact.
Eugene McNamara
Eugene is a big, red-haired cab driver Agnes meets while working at a petrol station. He is Colleen McAvennie’s brother. Eugene lost his job when the mine and Pithead shut down and took up a job as a taxi driver. He lost his wife of 20 years to cancer and thought his life was essentially over until meeting Agnes. Eugene is a good man with the best intentions for Agnes. He tries to take some of the burden of taking care of Agnes from Shuggie, and he gives Shuggie abook of football statistics to try and help him become manlier. Despite his best intentions, Eugene encourages Agnes to drink to feel normal, sending her spiraling back into alcoholism. Eugene initially tries to make up for it by sharing the responsibility of taking care of her, but it eventually proves to be too much, and he leaves Agnes.
