The Pillars of the Earth | Characters & Character Analysis

The Pillars of the Earth Characters

Tom Builder

Given the rather unenlightened standards of the times, Tom Builder is in most respects a very decent man. He is a hard-worker and prides himself on his ability to provide for his wife, Agnes, and their two children. Although he takes Agnes a bit for granted, he does love her dearly and seeks her input on all family decisions. Tom is also a dreamer, however, opposed to the practical Agnes, and he cannot make his wife understand his passionate desire to be the master builder for a cathedral project. Agnes' inability to understand is only amplified by the downturn in the family fortunes that leaves Tom out of work for over a year. Agnes dies giving birth to their third child in the frozen forest where the now-homeless family is forced to sleep. Tom, however, is heartened by his dying wife's final words of love and forgiveness in which she...
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