Rex Mottram Character Analysis

Rex Mottram is a businessman, an entrepreneur, and the husband of Julia Flyte. Rex is “new money” and is not from a wealthy family. He stands out in British society because he is Canadian, has travelled widely, and is believed to have some links to organized crime. Rex fought in World War I and is at least 10 years older than Julia. Rex is a ruthlessly ambitious man and only cares about money and power. Charles describes him as “the burlesque” of power, which suggests that Rex is a stereotype of newly-wealthy men in the early-20th century. Rex is associated with vulgarity, modernity, and materialism throughout the novel. He views the world, and people around him, as things that he can dominate, and his lust for power is revealed when he becomes interested in politics and decides to run for Parliament. He plans to use the outbreak of World War II to his advantage and tries to use populist tactics (giving a “rabid” anti-German speech in Parliament) to win public approval. Rex is based on Brendan Bracken, a real political figure in this period. Rex is a social climber and has no strong personal morals or principles: he is willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead. He views his marriage to Julia in these terms and even agrees to become a Catholic so that her family will accept him. Throughout the course of the novel, many of the other characters remark that Rex does not seem like a “whole person.” His interests are extremely limited, and he is not at all concerned about spirituality, morality, or anything philosophical, artistic, or intellectual. Charles looks down on Rex because of this and views him as a representation of modernity, which Charles thinks is extremely limited and shallow in its outlook.