The Heart's Invisible Furies

Catherine Goggin is the deuteragonist of The Heart’s Invisible Furies and her experiences represent The Strength of Women Against Misogyny. The novel begins with the story of her expulsion from her hometown of Goleen and depicts her as the pinnacle of strength and independence amidst a culture that is set upon tearing her down. Her life in Goleen was defined by her subordinate role as the only daughter in a family of sons. Catherine’s experiences after she becomes pregnant at age 16 lay the foundation for Cyril’s entire life, as she is cast out as a result of intolerance. She befriends two gay men who are attacked and one of them killed; Catherine attempts to defend them, showing how she stands above her own cultural roots. Her resilient and spirited nature is clear when she climbs the stairs at nine months pregnant after being kicked down by Seán’s murderous father. Ironically, she births Cyril without any help, but promptly gives him up for adoption, knowing that she would have little chance of raising him on her own in the 1940s Irish social climate.

Catherine continually appears throughout Cyril’s life, demonstrating The Interconnected Web of Human Life; it is not until he is in his sixties and she her seventies that they realize who the other is. Catherine becomes the manager of the tearoom that hired her when she arrived in Dublin, and over the years Cyril observes her rebellious nature and bravery; for example, when she finds Cyril drinking with Julian, she reprimands the priest in charge of them for neglecting to supervise. Cyril comes to admire Catherine for this reason and trusts her enough to tell her he is gay long before he tells anyone else. He describes her as “fearless in the face of authority” (224).

Catherine’s gusto and unwillingness to compromise for the sake of others’ insecurity follows her to the end of her life. In her seventies, she returns to Goleen to close that chapter of her life, and in her eighties, marries for the first time as Cyril walks her down the aisle.

Julian Woodbead is Cyril’s best friend. They first meet when they’re both seven years old and Julian comes to Dartmouth Square with his father to consult Charles on Charles’s possible prison sentence. From the moment Cyril sees Julian, he is enamored by him, noting how Julian had “piercing blue eyes that captivated [him] immediately” (58). Julian was “sexually precocious” (60) as a child, already interested in sex with women from a very young age. He asks Cyril to see his penis, and when he shows Cyril his own, Cyril realizes that he has sexual feelings for males. Julian has flaws but is wise beyond his years, telling Cyril things like, “Every man is afraid of women as far as I can see” (69).

Julian and Cyril are in many ways opposites, with Julian being outgoing, interested in women, and a generally extroverted person. What they share in common is their obsession with sex. They grow up together, sharing many of their first experiences. Julian’s adulthood is full of whimsy and adventure as he travels the world with various girlfriends and seems to always be joyful. When Cyril professes his love to Julian after years of deceit, Julian reacts with anger, threatening Cyril to marry Alice anyway and telling him they can never be friends again. Julian’s obsession with sex is his tragic flaw and leads to his contracting AIDS in later life. Meeting Julian again in the hospital symbolizes how Cyril is unable to escape his past due to The Interconnected Web of Human Life. Cyril helps Julian through his death and Julian forgives Cyril for his past.

Charles and Maude Avery are Cyril’s adoptive parents. They take him in after Maude suffers a miscarriage and is unable to have any more children. Despite wanting a child, they pay little attention to Cyril, and Maude is often shocked to find he is there at all. Charles is a dysfunctional and misogynistic man who cheats on his wife, evades taxes, and has a gambling problem. He eventually goes to prison for tax evasion for several years. Maude is a passionate writer whose novels focus on The Strength of Women Against Misogyny. She hates the idea of fame, however, and writes only for her own sake; she ironically never reads books. She isolates herself in her office, chain smokes, and shows little empathy or concern for Cyril.

Both Maude and Charles treat young Cyril like an adult, discussing adult problems with him and teaching him things he is too young to understand. Maude and Charles have a business-like marriage that was once full of passion but that devolved into a distant fragment of what it once was. Maude eventually dies of cancer while Charles lives into his seventies before developing a brain tumor. Charles reappears throughout Cyril’s life, always reminding him, “You’re not a real Avery” (52). Cyril feels a deep affection for his adoptive parents despite their failures, believing they did for him what they knew how to do and provided him a safe, secure place to grow up. Before he dies, Charles expresses his fondness for Cyril, telling him that though he may not have been a “real” Avery, he “came damn close” (486).

Bastiaan is Cyril’s partner and the only person that Cyril ever truly loves in a mature, romantic sense. Bastiaan, whose parents are Holocaust survivors, is a doctor of communicable diseases living in Amsterdam, and is introduced to Cyril through Jack Smoot at his pub. Cyril falls for Bastiaan immediately, and the two connect and move in together shortly after. What follows is a period of joy and familial closeness for Cyril as he and Bastiaan adopt Ignac and eventually move to New York to assist with the AIDS epidemic.

Bastiaan demonstrates profound compassion for others by insisting on taking in Ignac and wanting to move to the United States to help people with AIDS. During a time when most people refused to be in the same room as anyone with the disease, he shows courage and a sense of logic above the rest. In the most painful experience of Cyril’s life, Bastiaan is tragically murdered by a group of men who see him comforting Cyril near Central Park one night, demonstrating how prejudice and hatred lead to violence.

Ignac is Cyril and Bastiaan’s informally adoptive son. They find Ignac on their doorstep when he is 15 years old and attempting to escape the abusive hands of his father, who sold him into the sex trade. Ignac initially plans to rob the Cyril and Bastian, but their kindness surprises him, and he returns the next day requesting to stay. Cyril is hesitant, but Bastiaan is fully open to the idea, and once they allow Ignac into their lives, they find they have formed a complete family.

Ignac’s father Damir comes looking for him one night; he attacks Ignac and Bastiaan, nearly killing them both, but Jack Smoot defends them and kills Ignac’s father. It’s clear that Ignac’s past is painful. He pursues a degree in literature and becomes a world-famous children’s book author as an adult, creating a Slovenian boy with the ability to time travel. On a trip to his home country of Slovenia, he brings Cyril along and shows him where he grew up, a painful but healing experience for Ignac, and after encountering his grandmother—the woman who initially sold him into the sex trade—Ignac returns home. He eventually marries and has two sets of twins, enlarging Cyril’s family to a size greater than Cyril ever could have imagined.

Liam Woodbead is Cyril and Alice’s son. Cyril only has sex with a woman once in his life, and that experience produces Liam. Cyril is unaware of Liam’s existence for 15 years until he reunites with Julian at the hospital. Julian mentions having a deep affection for Alice and Liam, and when Cyril asks who Liam is, he finds out that he has a son. The news causes turmoil within Cyril, who feels immense guilt for doing to Alice what someone once did to his own mother. Cyril writes to Alice, but it takes time for them to accept him into their lives. Cyril does not relent and shows Liam and Alice both infinite patience, allowing them to slowly forgive him and eventually consider him part of their family. When Liam’s second son, Julian, is born, he invites Cyril to meet him first, and refers to Cyril as “Dad” for the first time. Liam confesses that he tried to hate Cyril, but Cyril did nothing except make him love him. A dynamic character, Liam demonstrates his capacity for change as he forgives and grows to love his father.

Alice Woodbead is Julian’s sister and becomes Cyril’s wife and the woman who bears his only biological child. Cyril describes her as being Julian’s physical twin but characteristically his opposite. She becomes a victim of Cyril’s self-deceit and desperate attempts to have a heterosexual relationship. Alice is an intelligent and strong woman who illustrates The Strength of Women Against Misogyny—she recovers from being left at the altar in a previous relationship—but is not immune to being fooled. She falls in love with Cyril, makes love to him, and marries him. Cyril leaves Alice after the wedding, not giving her time to tell him she is pregnant.

Alice demonstrates immense understanding and patience by forgiving Cyril years later and allowing him to back into her and Liam’s lives. She is a stoic woman who relies on her wit and grit to get her through the difficult times in her life. After forgiving Cyril, he becomes part of the family, though she never lets him forget how he left her. She allows Cyril to move into her home at Dartmouth Square twice in his later life: once when Charles is dying, and again when Cyril himself is nearing the end. Her strong emotional range and ability to forgive Cyril make her a round, dynamic character.

Mary-Margaret is Cyril’s girlfriend for a short time during his young adulthood and the height of his sexual confusion. He dates Mary-Margaret in an attempt to rid himself of being gay and convince himself to like women. Mary-Margaret is highly particular and negative, often complaining about how other people do not meet her standards. When she begins dating Cyril, she refuses to let him touch her: “I can’t stand being touched” (199). It ironically works out well for Cyril, who has no desire to get close to her anyway.

Mary-Margaret and Cyril date for a few months until Mary-Margaret begins to suspect that Cyril is hiding something. When she figures out that he might be gay, she reports him and has a garda follow him into a public lavatory. Cyril is arrested when he is found with a boy (whom he was only trying to help), but a couple of Northern Irish rebels blow up a nearby political statue, killing both the officer and Mary-Margaret. Although it’s in many ways a relief to Cyril, he feels responsible for her death knowing that she would never have been here if not for his lies. Mary-Margaret is a flat, static character whose actions deepen Cyril’s internal and external conflicts.

Jack Smoot is Seán’s boyfriend and also eventually becomes Catherine’s lifelong best friend. When Catherine first meets Jack, he is abrasive and standoffish, likely due to his fear of his relationship with Seán being discovered. He is the opposite of Seán, dark, brooding, and serious, but as a round, dynamic character, eventually grows to like Catherine and accept her as part of his life. When Seán is attacked, Jack is attacked as well, but somehow manages to survive. Catherine holds Jack as he lies bleeding on the floor as she gives birth to Cyril. The experience bonds them forever. Jack loses his eye and partial use of his leg in the attack, and Cyril, too, loses partial use of his leg after being a victim of a hate crime.

Cyril runs into Jack by coincidence while they are both living in Amsterdam years later, demonstrating The Interconnected Web of Human Life. Cyril is unaware of who Jack is, but the two become friends, and Jack introduces Cyril to Bastiaan. Jack saves Bastiaan and Ignac when they’re attacked by Damir, Ignac’s father. He kills Damir, having been through a similar situation before, and he and Catherine get rid of the body. Jack comes to Catherine’s wedding at the novel’s conclusion, illustrating his inner resolve and ability to survive a life full of turmoil.

Max Woodbead is Julian and Alice’s father. He is a talented lawyer in Ireland and a friend of Charles, who hires him when Charles is caught for tax evasion and facing jailtime. Max and Charles are in many ways alike; Max is a promiscuous man with little respect for his wife or children. His main preoccupation is with his work and becoming more famous, and he shows his poor character when he buys Charles’s house after Charles is imprisoned. Max buys the house for a fraction of its worth and puts Maude and Cyril out in the process, feeling no guilt whatsoever. He cheats on his wife and leaves her for a woman much younger. Julian emulates his father and develops his attitude toward women by observing Max. This demonstrates a generational cycle that perpetuates misogyny in 20th-century Ireland.