Lucky Jim Appearances Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

An irregular knocking on the door […] was at once followed by the bursting-open of this door and the entry of a tall man wearing a lemon-yellow sports coat, all three buttons of which were fastened, and displaying a large beard which came down further on one side the on the other, half hiding a vine-patterned tie. (4.12)

So this big dude walks in wearing a big yellow coat that's buttoned all the way up. It's Bertrand Welch, and Amis shows us from his outfit and his build that he likes to be the center of attention.

Quote #5

The huge class that contained Margaret was destined to provide his own womenfolk: those in whom the intention of being attractive could sometimes be made to get itself confused with performance; those with whom a too-tight skirt, a wrong-coloured, or no, lipstick, even an ill-secured smile could instantly discredit that illusion beyond any apparent hope of renewal. (4.13)

Jim has a pretty good handle on the "type" of women who are in the same league as him. It's women like Margaret, who aren't really all that attractive, but who are close enough to try and look the part. For Jim, though, these performances are sad, since there's no hiding unattractiveness, and the attempt to do so comes across as pathetic.

Quote #6

"Do you know what you look like in that beard?" (4.47)

It might seem kind of childish, but Jim figures that the best way to hurt a person's feelings is to call them ugly. He does it in a way that tells Bertrand that he knows the beard is an affectation.