The Characters of "The Goldfinch" Quiz

Answer: Theo

Theo Decker was the main character of "The Goldfinch". Due to his being suspended and on the way to a meeting at his school, he and his mother ducked into the Met Museum to avoid a downpour. While there, his mother introduced him to the painting "The Goldfinch" by the Dutch painter Carel Fabritius, before they were caught in a terrorist attack.

In the aftermath of the bombing, Theo was tempted to take the painting, which ended up being a huge influence in his life.

Answer: Pippa

Pippa was the niece of Welty and happened to be at the museum on the day of the bombing. Her allure caused Theo to linger in a different room than his mother, and so her presence ended up being the thing that saved him. However, she was badly injured in the bombing and once she was well enough, her aunt took her to Texas before sending her to a boarding school in Switzerland.

While Theo was deeply in love with Pippa almost from the moment he met her, she claimed she could not return his feelings because they were both damaged in similar ways after the attack as they both suffered from PTSD.

Answer: Hobie

James "Hobie" Hobart was an antiques restorer who had run a shop with his partner Welty. When Theo returned Welty's ring to Hobie, Hobie welcomed Theo into his home. After leaving Las Vegas, Theo came to live and eventually work with Hobie. Despite their difference in age, they were able to understand each other and became close friends and later business partners. Hobie trusted Theo fully and had no knowledge of his drug addiction or criminal behavior.

Answer: Boris

Boris Pavlikovsky was a Polish-Ukrainian whom Theo met in Las Vegas. Boris had traveled the world with his abusive father. The two boys become quick, inseparable friends. Boris took Theo under his wing and introduced him to hard drinking, drug use, and shoplifting. Due to both having neglectful parents, they had to learn to get by on their own.

When Theo fled Las Vegas, he lost contact with Boris for many years until they happened to meet on the street in New York City. It was then revealed that Boris had taken "The Goldfinch" from Theo back in Las Vegas and had been using it as collateral in criminal business dealings.

When the painting was stolen from Boris, he devoted himself to helping Theo reclaim it.

Answer: Welty

Welty Blackwell was an antiques dealer who worked with Hobie and was Pippa's uncle and caretaker. Theo was with him as he died after the terrorist attack. Though Welty was very out of it, he formed a connection with Theo and forced him to take his ring, which later led Theo to Hobie. It was also due to Welty's urging that Theo took "The Goldfinch" from the ruins of the museum.

Answer: Andy

Andy Barbour was a nerdy, awkward teenager with many allergies. He did not fit in with his outgoing and preppy family. In elementary school, he and Theo were bullied relentlessly. After Theo's mother died, Andy's family was the only one he could think of turning to, and he lived with them for a while.

Many years later, as an adult, Theo discovered that Andy and his father had drowned in a sailing accident. While Andy's father loved to sail, Andy had always hated it and had a fear of the water.

Answer: Kitsy

Kitsy Barbour was much younger and an annoyance when Theo first moved in with the Barbours. Later, however, when Theo reentered the Barbours' lives, he and Kitsy began to date, and quickly became engaged. However, Theo soon discovered Kitsy had been cheating on him with Tom Cable. The couple decided to stay together for convenience more than anything.

Answer: Lucius Reeve

Lucius Reeve bought one of the fake pieces of furniture that Theo had begun to sell to get Hobie out of debt. While Theo was usually able to buy back most of the fakes if they were discovered, Reeve refused his offer. Instead, he turned to blackmail. This became quite a worry to Theo after Reeve told him he knew he had "The Goldfinch" and that he wanted it.

Answer: Mrs. Barbour

As the matriarch of the wealthy Barbour household, Mrs. Barbour was elegant, formal, and well known in certain circles. She took Theo in after his mother's death and came to see him as a son. When Mr. Barbour and Andy die, she became broken and withdrew from the world. However, when Theo came back into her life, she seemed to become happier.

Answer: Popper

Popper, or as Boris began to call him, Popchik, was a Maltese dog who originally belonged to Xandra. However, she did not take proper care of him, and Theo began to take care of him when he moved in with his dad and Xandra in Las Vegas. When Theo ran away to New York, he sneaked the dog onto the bus with him. Popchik was still around in the later part of the book as a much older dog.