Moon Tiger

Tom Southern is Claudia’s primary romantic interest. Tom, a tank commander in the British army, meets Claudia in Egypt. He is characterized as a thoughtful, helpful person from their first moments; Tom rescues Claudia and her companions after their vehicle breaks down in the desert. There are few physical descriptions of Tom. One of the most notable is a description of his tanned hand on the steering wheel after he’s picked up Claudia and the others. Tom’s capable presence, his hand on the wheel, reassures an exhausted Claudia.

Tom and Claudia’s entire relationship takes place in Egypt; that is the only context in which the reader ever sees him. As such, his characterization is tied closely to descriptions of the Egyptian scenery. In the first scene with Tom (not the scene where they meet, but the first scene involving Tom that appears in the novel), the pair are riding a train to Luxor, admiring the view from the window. They see the “translucent glowing desert dawn,” the sunrise reflecting on the Nile River (72). The language in this scene is rich with gem tones: “sapphire blue” water, “vermillion and crimson and lime” clothing on children (72). This fantastical imagery supports Tom’s characterization, as he encourages Claudia to admire the sight and promises her that they will remember it forever.

Tom’s diary grants the reader access to Tom’s inner thoughts, punctuating the theme of The Intersection of Personal and Global Histories with the distinctly personal voice of a man who has observed war firsthand. The diary, written in small snippets while Tom has breaks from the action on the front lines of the desert tank battles, demonstrates Tom’s reflective, thoughtful nature. He describes seeing a gazelle, which the soldiers would usually kill for meat, and letting it live because it is lovely. He describes a difficult battle in which a new recruit freezes in panic, putting Tom’s whole squad in danger. Tom responds with empathy because he had lain awake with terror the night before.

Although Tom and Claudia’s relationship is a short one, it transforms Tom. Claudia helps him to think about the future. She not only coaxes him into daydreaming about life after the war but also offers the promise that someday he might be able to “make sense of” the trauma of war (204), with Claudia by his side to help.

Gordon is Claudia’s brother—one year her elder—and one of her romantic interests. He is tall, blond, and handsome, known for his good looks as Claudia is for hers. Gordon is an economist, intelligent and witty, fond of engaging in passionate debates with Claudia. Gordon is, like Claudia, deeply competitive. When he teaches her to dance the foxtrot, he tells her that “you have to be better at it than anyone else, that is the whole point” (137). Later, they play tennis with friends and both glow with the fact that “they have trounced all” (139).

Gordon’s passion, attractiveness, and intelligence—and his similarities to her—draw Claudia to him. They have a sexual affair that lasts for two or three years while they are both college-aged. Gordon is Claudia’s first love interest, awakening her to the excitement of romance and sex. Eventually, they “beg[i]n to look beyond each other” and end their affair (140). Nonetheless, Gordon forever influences what Claudia seeks in men, and their sibling relationship is forever affected by their early intimacy.

As adults, after their affair has ended, Gordon and Claudia have a closeness that excludes other people. This closeness is due to their shared secret and also to the profound understanding that they have for each other. Sylvia, Gordon’s wife, is the primary person who notices and describes this exclusionary relationship. Sylvia is a foil to Claudia, timid where Claudia is outspoken, and soft where Claudia is sharp-edged. Sylvia’s character serves to enhance Gordon’s characterization; he chooses a shy, accommodating wife and then proceeds to neglect her whenever Claudia is around.

Jasper is another of Claudia’s love interests. Though the two never marry, Jasper and Claudia have a relationship that spans decades. He is Lisa’s father, and the two remain connected because of Lisa even after they cease to be involved romantically. Jasper is described as “good looking, persuasive, potent, energetic, and selfish” (9). Jasper is ambitious and a successful businessman. Claudia sees his desire for money as greed, a quality that fascinates her. In this way, Jasper’s character highlights Claudia’s values and desires; through her interest in him, the reader comes to understand more about what she prioritizes. Jasper is as independent as Claudia is; their relationship works because neither makes big demands on the other’s time nor requires a long-term commitment. Jasper is smart and likes to debate with Claudia, reflecting her desire for adventure and excitement above almost all else. Jasper is also proud to be seen with an eye-catching woman like Claudia; he feeds her pride while also giving her a stereotypical male figure to push against.

Jasper’s father is Russian, a heritage that the novel spends a great deal of time considering. Jasper’s mother is an English aristocrat. His money and social status enable him to be cavalier and entitled. He drives fancy cars, frequently travels internationally, and is always seeking the next lucrative connection.

Lisa is Claudia and Jasper’s daughter. Lisa is described by Claudia as “a silent and pasty little girl” and “a dull child” who often bored her mother (9). Claudia was disappointed by Lisa’s demeanor, by the fact that “she never looked or behaved like either of us” (9). Claudia asks Lisa’s grandmothers to take an active role in raising her. Lisa spends more time with her grandmothers than with her mother while she is growing up. Lisa’s childhood memories of her mother are characterized by feelings of inadequacy and desire for attention. As a girl, Lisa both admires and resents her mother, sensing her mother’s disappointment in her and longing to please her. Lisa wants, for example, to wear the hot pink nail polish that her mother does, but Claudia consistently turns her away.

Lisa is a middle-aged woman when Claudia is dying. Claudia notices a “hardening of the features” and a “softening of the body” in Lisa (61). She cuts a “quintessentially middle-class middle-England figure in her Jaeger suit and floppy-bowed silk shirt and her neat polished shoes” (61). Behind this mundane facade, however, Lisa has a secret; she has a lover outside of her marriage. She has not told anyone, including Claudia, this secret.

Lisa’s secret love affair, in addition to the cruel way that her mother underestimates her and takes her for granted, highlights Claudia’s fallibility. Lisa, above all other characters, emphasizes Claudia’s flaws, namely Claudia’s selfishness and pride and inability to look beyond her own bias. However, Lisa accepts Claudia’s apology toward the end of the novel. In this moment, Lisa offers her mother the gift of forgiveness while still feeling the resentment and disconnect that have characterized their relationship.