Character Analysis
All stories should start with the entrance of a handsome stranger, in our humble opinion, and luckily for us, this story does just that. Meet Eldric Clayborne: handsome, strong, tall, fashionable, funny, creative, and kind. And guess what? He needs to stay with Briony's family because living above the alehouse is a bad idea for such a good looking young man—which means more quality time for Eldric to rock Briony's world. Yippee.
Eldric represents an opportunity for Briony to have a host of life changing experiences. From the development of her first true friendship, to her learning to trust and be trusted, to her boxing skills, motorcar rides, and first kisses on Blackberry Night, the world that Eldric introduces Briony to winds up literally saving her life in the end.
While Eldric is a manly man, so has heroic moments where he "saves" Briony from danger, we think how he nurtures and loves Briony back to a more healthy relationship with herself is much more impressive. Because really, what's more important—riding away on a white horse with the prince, or believing in yourself enough to know you deserve nothing less than the best? We say the latter.
Just a Boy
Eldric is a grown man, even though Briony calls him a boy-man, and it is through this boyish lens that we get to see him as playful and a bit irresponsible. Check it out:
"There's my bad boy," said Mr. Clayborne, waving Eldric over. He made it sound as though it were quite a good thing to be a bad boy. (2.32)
In this introduction to Eldric, we see him as his father sees him—just a boy, and a bad one at that. Later on, as Eldric matures from boy-man to man-man, we get to see a more complete picture of him, though his boyishness and playful moments thankfully stick around. We wouldn't want to know an Eldric who didn't have a childish side—and we don't think Briony would either.
Single Minded
"It's unfair, I suppose," he said. "But it's true. It's simply true that a twenty-two-year-old man has more liberty than a girl." (24.141)
Yes—Eldric's talking about what you think he's talking about here (sex, Shmoopsters, he's talking about sex). To be fair, Briony has been a bit pushy about the subject, forcing Eldric to reveal his past at least a little more than it seems he wants to. The important thing about this for the book though, is that Eldric is much more experienced than Briony, who up until Eldric hadn't even admitted to liking boys at all.
True Friendship
One of the most awe inspiring sides of Eldric (though he'd probably say it's his talent for saving Briony in distress) is his ability to be a true friend to Briony. This is an even bigger accomplishment when we remember how complicated and difficult to get to know Briony can be. Eldric displays his caring and patient nature in moments where he says things like:
"I'm not saying that Fraternitus members mayn't have secrets from each other. Sometimes that's inevitable. But don't you think we can trust the other and ask for help?" (15.103)
By patiently pointing out ideas like trust and interdependence, Eldric shows Briony what it is to have a truly intimate relationship with another person. Would Briony have learned how to trust and be vulnerable without Eldric's patient love and wisdom? Slim chance, we think.
Lover Boy
Eldric's final attempt at saving Briony leads him to lose his hand and his confidence as a man. While this is sad, it also leads him to take his final steps into manhood: falling in love and being emotionally vulnerable. And it's a good thing too, because let's face it—Briony was never going to get to this place on her own.
As a friend, Eldric is able to teach Briony more than she has ever known about trust and vulnerability. Still, she isn't convinced to truly put herself out there—all the way out there—until she sees Eldric's emotional bravery. In their final dramatic confrontation, Eldric confesses his fears to Briony, saying:
"A person gets to wondering, he gets nervous, he loses his confidence along with his hand. The girl laughed with him when he had both hands. The girl kissed him when he had both hands. But now she hardly looks at him. He blames his hand." (32.235)
This moment leads Briony to open up to him, finally and completely. So in the end, it is not his good looks, his style, his fancy car, his charming and playful ways, his sexuality, or even his friendship that wins Briony over. Love and vulnerability are the keys to Briony's wicked heart, and Eldric is the one who holds them.