Harold And Maude Character Analysis

Harold Chasen is one of the two main characters of the book “Harold and Maude“ by Colin Higgins. Shortly after the book had been published in 1971, the movie of the same name, directed by Hal Ashby, hit the theatres. In the novel, Harold, an introverted, death-obsessed boy, meets Maude, an old, freedom-loving lady. The reader witnesses Harold’s development under her influence.

As the story is told from Harold’s point of view, the reader does not get a lot of information about his outer appearance. He is a 19 year old boy (p.18, l.8), he has “mournful brown eyes” (p.24, l.25) and it is rather safe to assume that he is dressed in a very formal way.

Apart from that, his outward appearance remains a mystery. Harold, being a quiet, taciturn young man, simply does not like to talk, in particular he does not like to talk about himself. However, he can’t be called shy, but rather gives the impression of not liking to waste his words on unworthy occasions. As far as his mother or psychiatrist are concerned, it even seems as if he is feeling superior to …show more content…
In one of his psychotherapy sessions, he admits that he would have liked to remember his father, but he was too young when he died. (p.38, l. 17) Therefore, his mother is the only living family member, the only attachment figure in his own family. Being a very dominating person, Mrs. Chasen attempts to control every single aspect of Harold’s life, including his choice of spouse. She flatters herself by pretending to know her son when deciding over his head. (e.g. p. 24-26, The Computer Dating Service) As a matter of fact, she does not even care enough about him to notice that, in one scene, she is unaware of the fact that she is talking to a plastic dummy and not to her real son. Faking his suicide is Harold’s method of getting his mother’s attention and eliciting an honest, unfiltered