The Absent Presence: A Study of Percival in The Waves

Abstract

Percival is a character in Woolf’s novel The Waves, about whom few studies have been made about because throughout the novel he is silent and absent, which makes him unnoticeable. However, in spite of his absence, he is repeatedly present in other six characters’ monologues. His absent presence makes his image more mysterious and ambiguous. In a sense, he plays a most important role in the novel. He could be interpreted in different, even contradictory ways.