Mr. Savage Character Analysis in The End of the Affair

The “discreet” private detective that Bendrix hires to have Sarah followed. Bendrix learns of Mr. Savage from Henry, who suspects that Sarah is having an affair but is uncomfortable with actually hiring a private detective to uncover the truth. In fact, Henry burns the paper with Mr. Savage’s address in order to get rid of the temptation to contact him and as a sign of remorse for having suspected Sarah at all. Propelled by his jealousy of whoever Sarah might be having an affair with, Bendrix is determined to learn the truth and thus hires Mr. Savage and has Sarah followed. Mr. Savage and Bendrix only talk once, but he assigns Mr. Parkis to the case.

Mr. Savage Character Timeline in The End of the Affair

The timeline below shows where the character Mr. Savage appears in The End of the Affair. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Adultery, Deception, and Honesty Theme Icon

...do and Bendrix tells him to either burn the letter or see the private detective, Mr. Savage . Henry, however, swears he can’t do either thing: burning the letter is impossible and... (full context)

...went deeper than the book.” To that end, Bendrix decides to get in contact with Mr. Savage . (full context)

At Mr. Savage ’s office, Bendrix is shown into one of the two waiting rooms. When Mr. Savage... (full context)

When Bendrix is invited to sit in a comfortable chair and tell Mr. Savage to explain everything, Bendrix begins to feel “embarrassed and bitter.” Bendrix asks Mr. Savage what... (full context)

Even though Bendrix says there’s not much evidence, Mr. Savage tells him that all he needs is “the mood, the atmosphere” and guesses that Bendrix... (full context)

Bendrix tells Mr. Savage that there’s reason to believe that Mrs. Miles (that is, Sarah) is deceiving her husband... (full context)

Bendrix reflects on the similarities between his profession as a novelist and Mr. Savage ’s, including the fact that they both gather potentially meaningless details as part of the... (full context)

Bendrix returns home from Mr. Savage ’s and his landlady tells him that Mrs. Miles called while he was out. For... (full context)

...he looks familiar, but can’t remember why. Mr. Parkis introduces himself to Bendrix as “ Mr. Savage ’s man” and hands Bendrix the first report and expenses sheet (which his son has... (full context)

...cover the time up until the present. Bendrix thanks Mr. Parkis and promises to tell Mr. Savage about how well he’s done his job. Mr. Parkis shakes Bendrix’s hand before leaving. Once... (full context)