Oscar and Lucinda

Oscar And Lucinda is a satirical novel by Australian author Peter Carey. The book was first published in 1988 and went on to win the Man Booker Prize that same year, and was the recipient of the Miles Franklin Award in 1989. The novel tells the story of the meeting of Englishman Oscar Hopkins and Australian heiress Lucinda Leplastrier when they are both aboard a ship headed to Australia. As they get to know each other, they realize that they are both heavy gamblers. Lucinda challenges Oscar to a bet, knowing that he won’t be able to refuse, and this marks the beginning of their relationship.

Oscar Hopkins is a man full of contradictions. After having been raised by a strict and stringently religious father, he rebels and rejects his father’s faith in favor of Anglicanism. His father is heartbroken, and assures his son that his soul is now damned to hell, a thought that haunts Oscar throughout the novel. By committing himself to the Church of England, Oscar receives the opportunity to study at Oxford, which is where he discovers his skill as a gambler. After discovering that Oscar has gotten into the habit of participating in late-night card games, the church decides to send him to Australia.

On the ship to Australia, Oscar meets Lucinda, a wealthy heiress who had been in London researching the manufacturing process of glass, as she has spontaneously decided to purchase a glassworks with some of her inheritance and is trying to figure out how to run the business. Much of the difficulty comes with the fact that she is a woman, and her primarily male staff does not respect her or allow her to enter into the factory.

Lucinda is attempting to integrate into city life, which is difficult for her as she grew up on a farm with her mother and father and was used to taking care of herself. After moving to Sydney, she discovered that her way of life was not looked kindly upon, and she finds it difficult to make friends. Despite her best efforts to fit in, Lucinda finds it a constant challenge to adapt to Sydney life and to follow the conventions set out for her as a wealthy young woman. During her year-long stint in London, Lucinda hoped she may find a husband for herself, however she found London society to be even more disapproving of her than in Sydney.

As Oscar and Lucinda get to talking aboard the ship, they discover their mutual love for gambling, as Lucinda was often present at the same late-night card games as Oscar. Lucinda eventually invites Oscar to stay with her in Sydney. When they arrive in Sydney Harbor, many people assume Oscar to be Lucinda’s husband. Lucinda takes Oscar back to her home and shows him around the glassworks, where she notices that the men take an instant liking to him and accept him in a way that they have never accepted her.

As Oscar stays with Lucinda, their friendship develops, as both are in desperate need of a friend. However, even as their feelings for one another grow stronger, it seems impossible for either of them to communicate these feelings to the other. Oscar is convinced that Lucinda is in love with another man, Reverend Hassett, who is an expert in the properties of glass and has been advising Lucinda about her newly acquired enterprise. Although the Reverend has been sent away to Boat Harbor by his bishop, who does not approve of his religious views, Oscar is still convinced that there is something between he and Lucinda. One of the reasons he believes this is because Lucinda is in the process of building a church for the Reverend out of glass, which Oscar interprets as a symbol of her love for him, but in reality, Lucinda views the project as an opportunity to encourage people to buy the buildings that she is in the process of developing.

Oscar helps Lucinda with her building project and through the work they grow increasingly closer. Their relationship eventually moves beyond friendship, however it is made clear that their relationship is considered a scandal and is not widely accepted by Sydney society.

Lucinda and challenges Oscar to be able to deliver the glass church to Reverend Hassett in Boat Harbor. She is certain that Oscar will have no problem completing the task she has laid out for him. However, his mission is derailed when the leader of the expedition decides to realize his dream of becoming a famous explorer, detouring from the original route. When he finally makes it to Boat Harbor, Oscar is very ill and so is easily enticed into marrying a local woman. Soon after, Oscar drowns, and his new wife claims Lucinda’s fortune.