Enduring Love

by

Ian McEwan

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Enduring Love makes teaching easy.

James Gadd Character Analysis

James Gadd is a fifty-five-year-old executive in an advertising agency. The pilot of the balloon featured in the novel’s opening chapter, Gadd attempts to save the life of his grandson, Harry Gadd, who is trapped in the balloon’s basket. He is later found to have violated a number of safety procedures.

James Gadd Quotes in Enduring Love

The Enduring Love quotes below are all either spoken by James Gadd or refer to James Gadd. 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:
The Importance of Loyalty Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

I should make something clear. There may have been a vague communality of purpose, but we were never a team. There was no chance, no time. Coincidences of time and place, a predisposition to help, had brought us together under the balloon. No one was in charge—or everyone was, and we were in a shouting match.

Related Characters: Joe Rose (speaker), Jed Parry, John Logan, James Gadd, Joseph Lacey, Toby Greene
Page Number: 11
Explanation and Analysis:

Every fraction of a second that passed increased the drop, and the point must come when to let go would be impossible or fatal. And compared with me, Harry was safe, curled up in the basket. The balloon might well come down safely at the bottom of the hill. And perhaps my impulse to hang on was nothing more than a continuation of what I had been attempting moments before, simply a failure to adjust quickly.

Related Characters: Joe Rose (speaker), Jed Parry, John Logan, James Gadd, Harry Gadd, Joseph Lacey, Toby Greene
Page Number: 14
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3 Quotes

I said, “We tried to help and we failed.”
She smiled and shook her head. I went and stood by her chair and put my arms around her and protectively kissed the top of her head. With a sigh she pressed her face against my shirt and looped her arms around my waist. Her voice was muffled. “You’re such a dope. You’re so rational sometimes you’re like a child.”

Related Characters: Joe Rose (speaker), Clarissa Mellon (speaker), James Gadd, Harry Gadd
Page Number: 36
Explanation and Analysis:
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Enduring Love PDF

James Gadd Quotes in Enduring Love

The Enduring Love quotes below are all either spoken by James Gadd or refer to James Gadd. 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:
The Importance of Loyalty Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

I should make something clear. There may have been a vague communality of purpose, but we were never a team. There was no chance, no time. Coincidences of time and place, a predisposition to help, had brought us together under the balloon. No one was in charge—or everyone was, and we were in a shouting match.

Related Characters: Joe Rose (speaker), Jed Parry, John Logan, James Gadd, Joseph Lacey, Toby Greene
Page Number: 11
Explanation and Analysis:

Every fraction of a second that passed increased the drop, and the point must come when to let go would be impossible or fatal. And compared with me, Harry was safe, curled up in the basket. The balloon might well come down safely at the bottom of the hill. And perhaps my impulse to hang on was nothing more than a continuation of what I had been attempting moments before, simply a failure to adjust quickly.

Related Characters: Joe Rose (speaker), Jed Parry, John Logan, James Gadd, Harry Gadd, Joseph Lacey, Toby Greene
Page Number: 14
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3 Quotes

I said, “We tried to help and we failed.”
She smiled and shook her head. I went and stood by her chair and put my arms around her and protectively kissed the top of her head. With a sigh she pressed her face against my shirt and looped her arms around my waist. Her voice was muffled. “You’re such a dope. You’re so rational sometimes you’re like a child.”

Related Characters: Joe Rose (speaker), Clarissa Mellon (speaker), James Gadd, Harry Gadd
Page Number: 36
Explanation and Analysis: