The Line of Beauty focuses on the 1980s during Margaret Thatcher’s time as Prime Minister, written through the central character Nick Guest who is trapped between classes, living in wealthy households delving in the world of politics.
Art Work and the Hunger of the Wealthy
Early on in The Line of Beauty, we are introduced to Nick's fascination for beauty. His recognition of fine art in the Fedden household, where Nick is staying with his friend Tobias, makes this almost obsessive quality about Nick immediately evident. Artwork in the novel, however, becomes a distinct symbol of the hunger of the wealthy, as it is used in their house to represent their money.
Art is seen as a province of the rich who can afford but not fully appreciate it. Catherine, the sister of the friend Nick is staying with, describes art as just "make believe for rich people." This obsession with art among the rich is used perhaps to reflect upon Nick’s pursuit for beauty, and questioning the moralities within this quest.
For instance in the beginning of Nick’s relations with Leo, who he meets through a singles page, he describes a strangeness about him, which he finds "appealing and even beautiful." When describing Leo, Nick often breaks him down into body parts, for example his crotch or muscular arms, creating a rather severe, or close-up image of this character. "His glance slipped up and down between Leo’s crotch and the neat shallow cushion of his hair, and tended to avoid his handsome face." This allows Nick to almost airbrush his imperfections, in a dehumanizing manner.
Gerald and the World of Politics
The Line Of Beauty centers around a family highly involved in the country's political system, with Gerald Fedden being an MP of Margaret Thatcher. Again, we witness Gerald's downfall in the world of politics, leading to his resignation due to an affair he has. The morality in this issue, however, lies more explicitly in the ruthless greed and ambition of Gerald and his worshipping attitude towards ‘the lady.’
His affair with his secretary, Penny, slowly tears his family apart. Nick is used as a scapegoat for Gerald, unwilling to shoulder the blame upon himself, after Nick and Wani’s (a friend of Nick and Tobias from Oxford) sexual affairs become a hot topic in the paper. Although Nick doesn’t necessarily always agree with the Fedden's views, he is seduced by the glamour and star struck with their way of life.
Character Disintegration and AIDS
As well as being the era of Margaret Thatcher, the '80s were the era of AIDS, and the disease casts a long and sinister shadow over the whole book. This sense of a shadow is symbolized by the painting hung up in Leo’s house, of Jesus with the "shadow of death" looming behind him. The heightening risk of AIDS during the time also highlights Nick’s immoral idea of beauty he uses to fulfill his desires.
Leo’s ex-boyfriend, Pete, is a victim of AIDS, whom Nick meets during the first section of the novel. Ironically after his first sexual encounter, Nick is introduced to the effects of AIDS. Pete works in an antiques shop, reflecting upon Nick’s past in antiques, whose father dealt with them.
The similarity in backgrounds may predict a similarity in outcomes, as if to suggest AIDS may catch up with Nick. When he meets Pete, he encounters emotions of interest and excitement, as he describes "peering into the world of existing gayness." Later on in the novel, Leo contracts AIDS, completely changing Nick’s description of him.
He sees him in a bar and, before he realizes who he is, describes the gauntness of his features and how he "was too skinny and odd looking to excite him." Nick leaves the bar with a man he meets in the toilets, using him as a kind of shield as if to protect him from something horrible. Is this complete change in attitude towards Leo really acceptable?
The Beauty in a Line of Cocaine
Nick’s hunt for beauty is carried out through a frivolous lifestyle of drugs, casual sex and self-destruction. Wani displays Nick with a line of cocaine saying "there’s a line of beauty for you." This obscure comparison to Hogarth’s ogee line ironically reflects the inevitable dead end in Nick’s quest, marking a turning point in what it is he is really looking for.
It is turned into something hollow, losing its meaning. The virginal Nick we meet in the first section seems innocent and somewhat naive to the reality of gay relationships, and completely contrasts his character later on, whose carelessness is blurring his sense of propriety. Nick doesn’t hold back and goes after his desires, and the destructiveness of his actions is highly evident.
Helen Reakes - As a student studying English Literature at Swansea University, I have embraced my passion for detangling and analysing literature, and ...
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