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The Four Riders
"One figure might have been done in marble, massive, white, inviolable. A second was conceived in wire, with a star inside the cage, and a crown of barbed wire. The wind was ruffling the harsh fox-coloured coat of the third, flattening the pig's snout, while the human eye reflected all that was ever likely to happen. The fourth was constructed of bleeding twigs and spattered leaves, but the head could have been a whirling spectrum." (Riders in the Chariot, pg 598).
The passage above describes Dubbo's painting of the riders in the chariot. When I first read the passage I immediatey began making connections between the images described and the four main characters from the novel. My ideas a re outlined below, however there are some connections that are I not 100% confident with. But hey, these are my interpretations, I just hope they are close to what White was trying to convey.
1st figure - Mrs Godbold.
In my mind the first figure that White describes in clearly Mrs Godbold. Throughout the novel Mrs Godbold is steadfast in her religious beliefs. Not once does she consider changing her religion, nor does she allow other charcters to corrupt her beliefs. This is what I think White meant when he described the first figure as "inviolable". White also describes this figure as "done in Marble". On page 315 of the novel, where White writes "Mrs Chalmers-Robinson looked at Ruth, and decided the face was about as flat as a marble tombstone. But one that was waiting to be inscribed" (pg 315).
I also checked the wonderful site that is Wikipedia and discovered these tidbits, "The word "marble" derives from the Greek marmaros, "shining stone" " & "Pure white marble is an emblem of purity". Mrs Godbold is a shining beacon of hope and love throughout the novel, she is accepting of all the beliefs of people, and ultimately respects all people, no matter who they are or where they are from. Mrs Godbold is a pure character as well, despite the hardships that she has endured throughout her life.
2nd Figure - Himmelfarb
This figure is an obvious reference to Himmelfarb. One thing I find interesting though is White's choice of words when describing this figure - "conceived in wire". Does White simply mean that the figure is made out of wire? Or is he being a bit more metaphorical - is he saying that even in conception Himmelfarb was entrapped by his religion, conceived in a world where he would be persecuted because of his beliefs?
The other descriptions of this figure seem a bit more clear. For instance, "a star inside the cage" could refer to the Star of David, a symbol of Judaism, trapped in the concentration camp that Himmelfarb experiences. Or, it could also refer to the way the citizens of Sarsaparilla treat Himmelfarb - they act as if he is a zoo exhibit simply because he is Jewish.
Finally the "crown of barbed wire" is an obvious reference to Himmelfarb's crucifixtion. When Jesus was crucified a crown of thorns was placed upon his head. White updates this image, using barbed wire which is symbolic of the modren times and of the worker background of Himmelfarb's torturers.
3rd Figure - Alf Dubbo
Now, I wasn't totally sure about this third figure. My immediate thought was that it referred to Alf Dubbo, but then I remembered that Dubbo himself earlier had described Miss Hare as "the fox coloured woman" (pg 568). But in the end, I went back to my original thought. But I am open to contradiction. The reasons I think that the third figure could refer to Alf Dubbo are; the "fox-coloured coat" could actually refer to his own skin, and the "pig's snout" may refer to his own nose. My main reason for connecting Alf Dubbo to the third figure was the line "the human eye reflected all that was ever likely to happen". This to me seemed like an obvious reference to Dubbo's artistic viewpoint of the world. Dubbo doesn't just see the things that are there in front of him, instead he paints them in his mind, as if the scene before him was a canvas.
4th figure - Miss Hare
This figure too I am not 100% convinced of, but I have my reasons for the connection. Firstly the reference to twigs and leaves. Miss Hare has a deep connection with the environment, she listens to the trees and speaks with the plants. She communicates with the natural environment. I am not sure however, why White would describe the leaves and twigs as 'bleeding' and 'splattered'. Perhaps this is a reference to the demolishing of Xanadu that occurs at the end of the novel? White also attributes to the fourth figure a "head [that] could have been a whirling spectrum". I thought this might be White's way of showing the infinite natural world which Miss Hare is connected to. She sees more than most people, she is constantly seeing the world from another perspective.
As I said, I'm not 100% sure on all of my intepretations with these connections, but I feel that they can all be justified, which I hope I have achieved well. I love how one small paragraph from White can get me thinking for hours on end, considering a range of possibilities.