Whittington

Whittington the cat is both the central character of the novel's main plot line and the narrator of its secondary narrative line (subplot). When he first appears, he is lonely and physically unsteady, his physical and emotional states of being mirroring each other. Over the course of the narrative, however, as he develops and builds friendships (particularly with The Lady - see below), both his lameness and his loneliness disappear, his physical and emotional states of being again mirroring each other. This aspect of Whittington's story is an important manifestation of one of the work's central themes, its consideration of the value and rewards of friendship (see "Themes"). It's interesting, meanwhile, to note that this need and capacity for friendship and loyalty (particularly when it comes to Whittington's feelings towards the boy who loved him) are, in some ways, at odds with some of the characteristics widely attributed...