Marcus Maudsley Character Analysis in The Go-Between

Marcus is the school friend of Leo’s who invites him to Brandham Hall to stay with his family. He is a typical schoolboy, often play-fighting with Leo and calling him names. He also had a tendency to gossip—it’s Marcus who tells Leo of Marian and Trimingham’s engagement, and, suspects Leo, Marcus is the probable source of the information that leads Mrs. Maudsley to the discovery of Marian and Ted’s affair. Marcus also has a great distaste for the working-class villagers in the area (of which Ted is one); when he has to spend time with them in the village hall, he tells Leo afterwards that their smell very nearly made him throw up. Marcus is, in a way, more important for his absence than his presence in the novel: when he contracts measles at the start of the summer, Leo is set free from the constraints of playing with his friend and is able to roam around the estate alone, setting in motion the events that lead to the novel’s traumatic climax. After the events at Brandham Hall, Marcus doesn’t pay Leo much attention at school. The elderly Marian informs Leo that Marcus then died in service during the first World War.

Marcus Maudsley Quotes in The Go-Between

The The Go-Between quotes below are all either spoken by Marcus Maudsley or refer to Marcus Maudsley. 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:

). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the New York Review of Books edition of The Go-Between published in 1953.

“Phew! Three times I nearly had to cat…And you looked so pi, Leo, really dreadfully pi. So did everybody, while you were singing that church thing about the angels taking care of you. They all looked as if they were thinking about their dear dead ones, and Burgess looked as if he might be going to blub. Of course it’s difficult to know how Trimingham feels because of his face, but he didn’t half crack you up to Mama. He’ll eat out of your hand now.

Related Characters: (speaker), , ,

Page Number and Citation: 140-141

Explanation and Analysis:

“Green, green mon pauvre imbécile, bright green...et savez-vous pourquoi? Parce que vous êtes vert vous-même—you are green yourself, as the poor old English say…it is your true colour, Marian said so.” And he began to dance around me, chanting “Green, green, green.”

Related Characters: (speaker), (speaker),

Related Symbols:

Page Number and Citation: 175

Explanation and Analysis:

Marcus Maudsley Character Timeline in The Go-Between

The timeline below shows where the character Marcus Maudsley appears in The Go-Between. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...Leo is invited to spend the summer at Brandham Hall in Norfolk, where his schoolmate Marcus Maudsley lives. The thought of going there gives Leo “bouts of stomach-turning trepidation,” but he’s... (full context)

...for his invite might be that, when the boys had discussed their respective home addresses, Marcus had taken Leo’s “Court Place” to be a wealthier environment than it is (in fact... (full context)

Leo talks about his impressions of Marcus, thinking he possess a “savoire-faire that enabled him to be, without appearing to seek it,... (full context)

...her know if he isn’t happy. There’s also a chance, she thinks, that he or Marcus will get measles. (full context)

Young Leo and his friend Marcus share a room at the top of the Hall, with a single window set high... (full context)

...a magician. He says, “not really”—only at school. Leo makes a mental note to chastise Marcus for his breach of trust (children aren’t meant to tell much to their parents) and... (full context)

Leo meets Marcus’s brother, Denys, whom he finds quite unremarkable. He is much more intrigued by Marcus’ sister,... (full context)

The weather starts to get hotter, and Leo and Marcus go to check the reading on a thermometer near a disused building in the grounds.... (full context)

Old Leo can recall the details of his and Marcus’s clothes because he is looking at a picture of the two of them together at... (full context)

...should wear his school cricket clothes because they are cooler than anything else he has. Marcus admonishes him for the thought, saying only “cads” would wear school clothes in the holidays.... (full context)

...mops his face with a handkerchief and says that he isn’t, and that he and Marcus have been running. Leo feels embarrassed at the attention to his appearance, and people asking... (full context)

Marian goes to Leo and Marcus’s room to look through Leo’s clothes. She admires how well mended they are (by Leo’s... (full context)

Leo and Marcus go along with the swimmers, taking their bathing suits even though neither of them can... (full context)

The party of six, including Leo, Marcus, Marian and Denys, walk down some tree-lined paths towards the water. Marcus tells Leo that... (full context)

The other men in the group go off to change, and Marcus and Leo withdraw to the rushes to put on their bathing suits. Leo feels that... (full context)

...announced by the ringing of a gong and beginning with prayers read by Mr. Maudsley. Marcus and Leo always attend breakfast, but Marian is frequently absent or arrives halfway through. (full context)

This particular Sunday morning, Marcus isn’t feeling well and stays in bed. He asks Leo to give Trimingham his regards.... (full context)

After eating his porridge, Leo returns to his room. Marcus has the symptoms of measles and jokingly complains that if Leo gets it too they’ll... (full context)

...Maudsley informs Leo that he is to be moved to a new room due to Marcus’s measles. Leo heads to his new room in which all his stuff is already waiting,... (full context)

Marcus isn’t around, and neither are any of the adults (“the companions of the Zodiac”). Left... (full context)

...his hand. She tells Leo not to talk to anyone about the letter, not even Marcus. If he were to, she says tearfully, it would “get us all into the most... (full context)

...Marian calls him “a darling.” Marian asks whether they should postpone the ball because of Marcus’s illness, but Mrs. Maudsley says that would disappoint too many people. (full context)

...time so far. He mentions Trimingham calling him “Mercury,” how nice Marian is to him, Marcus being unwell (but not specifically the measles), and the upcoming cricket match and ball. (full context)

On Friday, Marcus comes downstairs for the first time since his sickness. It appears he will be well... (full context)

Leo doesn’t like the idea of lying to Marcus about the letters, feeling it goes against the schoolboys’ “no-sneaking tradition”. Besides, even if he... (full context)

After breakfast, Leo starts to head off with Marcus, both hopeful and fearful that Marian will not stop him to give him a letter.... (full context)

Leo goes back to Marcus and tells him he wants to go and slide on the straw-stack. Marcus is bored... (full context)

Leo decides that, as this might be the last letter he can take because of Marcus’s return, it’s okay for him to read it. Furthermore, if the letter reveals a matter... (full context)

...before informing him that he will no longer be able to bring letters because of Marcus’s recovery. Leo hasn’t told Marian yet, and Ted says, “she won’t know what to do,... (full context)

After the party, Leo walks home with Marcus. Marcus teases Leo, but says “you didn’t do so badly after all.” Marcus then talks... (full context)

Marcus continues to tease Leo, saying he was too busy to notice the stink because he... (full context)

Marcus tells Leo that he can’t hang around with him that afternoon as he has to... (full context)

Leo spends time with Marcus, who speaks to Leo in affected French. This annoys Leo, because Marcus’s language skills are... (full context)

On their way, the boys spot a footprint in the path. Marcus tells Leo ironically that he will tell Mrs. Maudsley that they have discovered the footprint... (full context)

Leo asks why Marian has to go to London. Marcus tells him that she needs to buy new clothes for the ball, and then lets... (full context)

Marcus tells Leo that the bicycle is a Humber—a much sought-after brand. He also says that... (full context)

...a fool.” He feels taken advantage of and seeks some kind of revenge. He asks Marcus if he knows where Marian is at that moment (she is supposed to be at... (full context)

Leo takes Marcus to the outhouse with the nightshade. The bush has grown so much that it now... (full context)

Marcus thinks the voice is that of “a loony talking to himself.” Then they hear a... (full context)

On the way home, Leo asks Marcus how long engagements go on, and whether they ever break off. Marcus says they do... (full context)

...mother to summon him home, but it doesn’t arrive. He spends the day playing with Marcus, who tells him about the extravagant ball that will happen soon. Marcus again teases Leo... (full context)

Marcus tells Leo that the highlight of the ball is to be Marian’s arrival on his... (full context)

Marcus and Leo see the boy who delivers telegraphs to the Hall cycling up towards them.... (full context)

...he ought to thank Ted and bid him goodbye. He needs a way to evade Marcus and comes up with the idea that Ted is going to give Leo a swimming... (full context)

...been because of the heat, he wonders. After all, it incapacitated both Mrs. Maudsley and Marcus. (full context)

...from everyone at Brandham Hall. He doesn’t feel any birthday cheer and is uneasy around Marcus. Above all, he has the sensation of being a “spectator.” Just before lunch, Leo goes... (full context)

...Robson, and insists on taking Leo for a walk around the gardens. He asks if Marcus can come too, which she refuses. As they walk, Mrs. Maudsley talks to Leo about... (full context)

...table. Mrs. Maudsley comes in and informs Leo that he will be moving back into Marcus’s room, as there are more guests who’ve come for the ball. (full context)

When Leo returned to school, he and Marcus barely acknowledged one another. Leo’s fear of hearing anything about Brandham eventually turned into a... (full context)

...Marian took him to Norwich so she could meet Ted there. He also sees that Marcus must have told Mrs. Maudsley that Leo knew something about Marian’s whereabouts at the time. (full context)

...fire.” Leo asks her questions about the different people from Brandham Hall. She thinks that Marcus and Denys were both killed in the first world war. Mrs. Maudsley, she informs Leo,... (full context)