Andy Contractor Character Analysis in A Little Life

An orthopedic surgeon, Andy Contractor is Jude’s longtime doctor and friend. Andy is the only doctor Jude trusts to examine him. Other than Willem, Andy is the only person who has seen Jude’s unclothed body since his he was 15 years old. Over the years, Andy sees Jude through many physical and psychological struggles, from instances of self-harm, to physical wounds others inflict on Jude, to Jude’s worsening mental health. Jude likes Andy because, unlike other people in Jude’s life, Andy regards Jude’s physical condition realistically—he’s the first person to tell Jude that Jude’s injuries will never heal (and will in fact get worse as Jude ages), and he never sugarcoats Jude’s situation. It’s Andy who eventually tells Jude that amputation is Jude’s only real option if Jude doesn’t want to risk contracting a potentially lethal infection. Andy wants to do well by Jude—he’s Jude’s doctor and Jude’s friend, so he has professional and personal reasons to want to see Jude get better. As a result, Andy often gives Jude frustrating ultimatums, such as threatening to have Jude committed if Jude doesn’t stop his self-harm. But Andy’s efforts to “fix” Jude assume that total healing is possible, and this contradicts the novel’s central thesis that some wounds are too deep to heal, and that it’s impossible to eradicate all suffering. Toward the end of Jude’s life, Andy struggles to reconcile his ethical belief that he has a responsibility to help fix Jude and keep him alive with his personal obligation to honor Jude’s decision to make choices about when and why his life is no longer worth living. In the novel’s closing section, Harold reveals that Andy dies of a heart attack several years after Jude’s suicide.

Andy Contractor Quotes in A Little Life

The A Little Life quotes below are all either spoken by Andy Contractor or refer to Andy Contractor. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

“Willem’s not a health-care professional,” he remembered Andy saying. “He’s an actor.” And although both he and Jude had laughed at the time, he wasn’t sure Andy was wrong. Who was he to try to direct Jude’s mental health?

“Don’t trust me so much,” he wanted to say to Jude. But how could he? Wasn’t this what he had wanted from Jude, from this relationship? To be so indispensable to another person that that person couldn’t even comprehend his life without him? And now he had it, and the demands of the position terrified him. He had asked for responsibility without understanding completely how much damage he could do.

Related Characters: Willem Ragnarsson (speaker), Andy Contractor (speaker), Jude St. Francis

Page Number and Citation: 537-538

Explanation and Analysis:

Willem and Jude are now in a relationship. And though Willem is sure he loves Jude, he’s often disappointed that this love isn’t enough to make Jude happy and help him to overcome his trauma. Willem frequently agonizes over his inability to “fix” Jude through love, patience, and compassion. Here, Willem recalls a warning Andy gave them once before about how Willem’s lack of medical expertise leaves him ill-equipped to take on all of Jude’s struggles. Though they’d laughed at Andy’s remark at the time, the implication has become less funny to Willem, who struggles to reconcile his love for Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Min

“I’m not Hemming, Willem,” Jude hisses at him. “I’m not going to be the cripple you get to save for the one you couldn’t.”

Related Characters: Jude St. Francis (speaker), Willem Ragnarsson, Andy Contractor, Harold Stein, Hemming , Julia

Related Symbols: Jude’s Self-Harm, Houses, Apartments, and Cabins

Page Number and Citation: 599

Explanation and Analysis:

Willem and Jude are at Harold and Julia’s house for Thanksgiving, and things have been tense between them since they got into a major fight on the drive there. Following an awkward dinner (Harold and Julia can sense that something is wrong), Willem catches Jude cutting himself in the bathroom in the middle of the night and physically restrains him. Then Willem, who has finally reached the end of his rope with Jude’s self-destructive behavior, calls Jude “crazy” and says he needs to be institutionalized. This quote is Jude’s retort to Willem: “I’m not Hemming, Willem,” Jude snaps back. “I’m Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores aut voluptatibus. Voluptatem qui voluptatum. Voluptatibus sed placeat. Aut tenetur autem. Fugit voluptates in. Quidem impe

Finally he lifts his head and sees Harold staring at him, sees that Harold is actually crying, silently, looking and looking at him. “Harold,” he says, although Andy is still talking, “release me. Release me from my promise to you. Don’t make me do this anymore. Don’t make me go on.”

Related Characters: Jude St. Francis (speaker), Harold Stein, Andy Contractor, Willem Ragnarsson

Related Symbols: Houses, Apartments, and Cabins

Page Number and Citation: 787

Explanation and Analysis:

Jude’s mental health declines following Willem’s death in a car accident. He nearly starves himself to death, and as a result, his friends, including Harold and Andy, hold an intervention and have him institutionalized. This passage comes from the intervention scene; Jude’s friends hold him down and prepare to deliver him to the hospital. Meanwhile, Jude looks up, sees Harold, and pleads, “release me. Release me from my promise to you. Don’t make me do this anymore. Don’t make me go on.” Many years ago, before Jude’s first suicide attempt, Harold made him promise not to do it ever again, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatu

Andy Contractor Character Timeline in A Little Life

The timeline below shows where the character Andy Contractor appears in A Little Life. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...calmly explains that he accidentally cut himself, and he asks Willem to take him to Andy’s. Willem is still half asleep, but he agrees. They walk outside and Willem heads toward... (full context)

They reach Andy’s office on Seventy-eighth and Park. Andy is eight years older than Willem and Willem has... (full context)

...blood has soaked through Jude’s shirt and through the towel. “I’m sorry,” Jude says to Andy, who unwraps the towel to reveal—to Willem’s horror—a gaping wound in Jude’s arm that looks... (full context)

Andy tells Willem he can take Jude home now, but he’s clearly angry. He orders Jude... (full context)

...new to the city and needed to orient himself. Now, he rarely misses a walk. Andy takes issue with this habit—it’s great Jude wants to exercise, he reasons, but swimming would... (full context)

For years, Jude hopes that his legs and spine might one day heal. But Andy tells Jude that his injuries will never heal—and they’ll only get worse as Jude ages.... (full context)

For as much as Andy knows about Jude, Jude knows very little about Andy. He knows that Andy is from... (full context)

...less than four years before the novel’s present day (when Jude is nearly 30) that Andy explicitly brings up Jude’s childhood. And it’s on this occasion that they have their first... (full context)

When Andy says he’s going to have Jude committed if Jude hurts himself again, Jude angrily threatens... (full context)

...since he thinks that he deserves everything that has happened to him. He knows that Andy finds his avoidance “illogical,” but as a doctor, Andy is supposed to “make people better,”... (full context)

Days go by after the big fight, and still, Andy and Jude don’t call each other. Jude bangs his injured wrist against his desk as... (full context)

Jude starts seeing Andy every Friday night so that Andy can clean and remove dead tissue from the wound.... (full context)

...so unbearable that he has to sit on a park bench. He considers going to Andy’s office but thinks Andy deserves a day off. As Jude sits and tries to wait... (full context)

...for Jude to walk back to his apartment. He can wait until tomorrow to call Andy. Jude thinks about the New Year’s Eve incident. He still doesn’t know what made him... (full context)

...clean anymore, he spends late nights in the office. He loses his appetite. He's seeing Andy once every six weeks again, and he’s put off his next appointment twice because afraid... (full context)

When Jude finally sees Andy, Andy asks what Jude wants to address first: his extreme weight loss, or the cuts.... (full context)

...pain from the cuts that he must crawl across the floor to retrieve it. It’s Andy. He tells Jude that he’s going to have him committed if Jude continues to hurt... (full context)

Jude sees Andy on Friday. Andy isn’t happy that Jude hasn’t gained any weight back, but he isn’t... (full context)

...Julia like. The last few days have been really hard for him. He even accepted Andy’s offer to meet up at a diner in the middle of the night. Jude has... (full context)

...insists, and eventually Jude just thanks him. Then, Malcolm and JB arrive, interrupting the moment. Andy arrives next, followed by Gillian. Then the doorbell rings. Jude wonders who it could be.... (full context)

Five years ago, when Willem was filming in Sofia, Andy called him and yelled at him for not being there for Jude. He told Willem... (full context)

...was in the hospital. Jude brushed off Willem’s concerns, claiming that it’s nothing and that Andy was overreacting. Willem pressed Jude, though, and Jude reluctantly admitted that he had a blood... (full context)

...claims this is because his apartment is unfurnished and because he made a promise to Andy to look after Jude, but in reality, he needs Jude. He loves telling Jude ridiculous... (full context)

...wakes up the next morning, Willem is asleep on the floor beside Jude’s bed and Andy is in a chair. Jude feels groggy and realizes Andy must have given him an... (full context)

The next time Jude wakes, Willem is gone but Andy is still there. Andy demands that Jude find a new apartment. And so, the next... (full context)

...later, Jude has finished paying off the apartment. One day, he has an appointment with Andy. Andy enters the examination room, a “grim and yet oddly triumphant” look on his face,... (full context)

Jude tries not to be too disappointed by what Andy told him. Now that he knows he can’t get the surgery, he can pay Malcolm... (full context)

...vulnerable around them.” He thinks about asking Willem to help massage the prescription scar cream Andy prescribed for him at his appointment earlier. But then he realizes he can never do... (full context)

Later that week, Jude had an appointment with Andy, who was horrified to see Jude’s bruised face. Jude lied that he injured his face... (full context)

...at the dentist—one of his teeth has been knocked loose. Later, at his appointment with Andy, Andy asks about the marks on the back of Jude’s neck. Jude lies that it’s... (full context)

The next day, Jude meets Andy at a bar. Andy asks Jude if Jude’s injuries are self-inflicted—has he been throwing himself... (full context)

A month before they finalize the adoption, Andy calls Harold and explains that Jude’s been having a hard time. The next day, Harold... (full context)

...of keys and was waiting for him at the apartment last night. Harold frantically calls Andy, who agrees to see Jude at his office in 20 minutes. (full context)

At Andy’s office, Harold speaks with Andy privately and fills him in on Caleb. They both feel... (full context)

The night after Caleb’s beating, Andy calls Harold to say that Jude is asleep in the examination room. He’s mended Jude’s... (full context)

Andy’s nightly phone calls resume after the beating, too, and he increases Jude’s checkups to every... (full context)

...the ambulance. Eventually, Jude is released into Harold and Julia’s care. He’s supposed to see Andy twice a week, and he’s supposed to start therapy. Harold and Julia take Jude to... (full context)

...One night, during the last week of filming, Willem is walking home when he spots Andy reading in a café. Andy is pleasantly surprised to see Willem, and so Willem sits... (full context)

Jude arrives at work and is grateful that he has a lot to do. Andy texts him and, like Harold, expresses gratitude that Caleb suffered before he died. Later, Jude... (full context)

...asks when the last time anyone saw Jude naked was, Jude lies and says that Andy is the only person who’s seen him naked since he was 15. (full context)

...for the first time. Jude was silent afterward, and his eyes looked dead. Willem remembers Andy’s cautionary remark when Jude told him he would be telling stories about his past to... (full context)

...has made it impossible for him to get an erection, but this isn’t true—according to Andy, there’s nothing physical that’s standing in Jude’s way. Caleb hadn’t minded, but Willem does: he... (full context)

...his arm. The pain is so bad the next day that he goes to see Andy. Andy gasps when he sees the wound. For a moment, Jude is worried that he's... (full context)

Andy works on Jude for an hour. When he finishes, he asks Jude how Jude managed... (full context)

Willem gets occasional “progress reports” from Andy and Harold, who reassure him that he’s not imagining the heightened self-confidence he sees in... (full context)

...as Willem waits in the car while Jude pays for something at the gas station, Andy calls Jude’s phone. Willem picks up. Without waiting for a hello, Andy says, “Have you... (full context)

...He knows he’s scaring a person he loves. He also remembers something he yelled at Andy in a fit of rage once before: “You’re mad because you can’t figure out how... (full context)

...bed. Then his phone rings. He picks up, thinking it might be Jude. But it’s Andy. Willem breaks down and tells Andy about everything that happened on Thanksgiving. Andy tells Willem... (full context)

...of bed the next day, but he still can’t walk. In January, he finally sees Andy. Andy explains that there’s nothing particularly wrong with Jude—he’s just getting older. (full context)

...is filming abroad, wounds appear on Jude’s calves and don’t heal. These days, he’s seeing Andy twice a week. There are days where Jude can’t walk at all. Injuries that once... (full context)

...up and finds that he has a high fever. Jude begs Willem not to call Andy. Willem reluctantly agrees. Jude feels better by Saturday and goes to work while Willem meets... (full context)

...there. He tells Jude that Harold was never there—Jude has been delirious with fever. Eventually, Andy informs Jude that he has a bone infection. Jude stays in the hospital. Harold and... (full context)

...A while back, he and Willem started referring to the hospital as “Hotel Contractor,” after Andy. These days, though, Willem refuses to joke along with Jude. Things have gotten too serious.... (full context)

...it’s July, and the leg wounds still haven’t healed. When Jude comes home one afternoon, Andy and Willem are there waiting for him, and they deliver the speech Jude has long... (full context)

...Harold and Julia meet them at the hospital. Jude is prepped for surgery, and then Andy (who will perform the surgery) marks out the relevant spots on Jude’s legs. Willem comes... (full context)

Given Jude’s current condition, there’s no medical reason for him to see Andy every week, but he does anyway. Andy, like Harold, is also worried Jude will die... (full context)

On Friday, Jude sees Andy. Andy inspects Jude’s arms and finds no new cuts. They go to dinner afterward and... (full context)

The next week, Jude meets Linus, Andy’s replacement. He thinks Linus looks disconcertingly like Willem. He likes Linus’s matter-of-fact demeanor. There’s nothing... (full context)

...has the strength to tell another person. Jude doesn’t want to go to dinner with Andy after his appointment with Linus, but he does anyway. They’re silent for a while. Andy... (full context)

...that night and turns off his phone so he doesn’t have to talk to anybody. Andy calls and texts all week, but Jude ignores him. The next night, Jude sees Harold,... (full context)

...and when he hallucinates, sometimes, he sees Willem. That Friday, Jude cancels his appointment with Andy to stay home and experiment with the hallucinations. That night, though, Willem doesn’t appear. Soon,... (full context)

The Friday before the trial, Andy comes to see Jude at his office. He asks Jude to stand. Jude says he... (full context)

...are there, and he learns that everyone has been monitoring his food intake for weeks. Andy explains that Jude is at a Grade Two weight loss, which is when people are... (full context)

...at work, he has no relief, since Sanjay is watching him constantly and will text Andy, who will have Jude committed, if Jude tries anything. Jude starts seeing Dr. Loehmann again,... (full context)

...these horrible things hadn’t happened to him, then he also wouldn’t have met Harold, or Andy, or Willem. Jude calms himself, and then he wheels his chair out of the bathroom... (full context)

...Jude has died by suicide—he injected an artery with air and gave himself a stroke. Andy lies to Harold and says the death would have been painless, but Harold researches and... (full context)

...out on the dining room table. Everyone wonders if they could have done something differently. Andy takes the death horribly—he thinks it wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t told Jude he... (full context)

Everybody dies so young: Andy dies of a heart attack three years later, and Richard dies of brain cancer. In... (full context)

Andy Contractor Character Analysis

Andy Contractor Quotes in A Little Life

Part 5: The Happy Years: Chapter 1 Quotes

Part 5: The Happy Years: Chapter 2 Quotes

Part 6: Dear Comrade: Chapter 3 Quotes

Andy Contractor Character Timeline in A Little Life