Tristram Shandy

Tristram Shandy

by

Laurence Sterne

Le Fever’s Son (The Officer’s Son) Character Analysis

Le Fever’s son is the son of Lieutenant Le Fever and is Toby’s unofficial adopted son. A deeply loyal and sensitive boy, Le Fever’s son dedicates himself to caring for his dying father in the local inn despite having no one else in the world. To Trim’s great frustration, other guests in the inn, like the curate, fail to comfort the boy. After Le Fever’s death Toby takes Le Fever’s son in, giving him a basic education before sending him to a boarding school. Le Fever’s son visits Toby during holiday and eventually asks for his blessing to go to Hungary to fight the Turks, but his military escapades are largely unsuccessful. Le Fever’s son returns to England shortly after Tristram’s birth, prompting Toby to recommend him to Walter as an ideal governor for Tristram.
Get the entire Tristram Shandy LitChart as a printable PDF.
Tristram Shandy PDF

Le Fever’s Son (The Officer’s Son) Character Timeline in Tristram Shandy

The timeline below shows where the character Le Fever’s Son (The Officer’s Son) appears in Tristram Shandy. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 6: Chapters 1-5
Language and Comprehension Theme Icon
...the governor should be gentle and good. Toby exclaims that he knows just the man: Le Fever’s son . A tear comes to Toby’s eye, and Tristram promises the reader will see why... (full context)
Book 6: Chapters 6-10
Truth, Fiction, and Storytelling  Theme Icon
Travel, Space, and Time Theme Icon
...to ask the landlord for the officer’s name. The landlord cannot remember but will ask the officer’s son , who is staying with him and caring for him. (full context)
Travel, Space, and Time Theme Icon
Science, Technology, and the Enlightenment Theme Icon
...angle or in a straight line, he would have thought only of the officer and the officer’s son . (full context)
Travel, Space, and Time Theme Icon
...to continue, and now he seems unlikely to recover. As the landlady was explaining this, the officer’s son entered to prepare the toast, but Trim insisted on doing it for him. This gesture... (full context)
Truth, Fiction, and Storytelling  Theme Icon
Travel, Space, and Time Theme Icon
...and Trim pours Toby a glass of sack, and Toby asks what will become of Le Fever’s son . (full context)
Truth, Fiction, and Storytelling  Theme Icon
Travel, Space, and Time Theme Icon
Science, Technology, and the Enlightenment Theme Icon
...the siege of Dendermond, he gives up his hobby-horse to attend to Le Fever and Le Fever’s son . Toby criticizes Trim for not offering Le Fever money, though he concedes that Trim... (full context)
Truth, Fiction, and Storytelling  Theme Icon
...feels and then explains that he wishes to bring him to his house to recover. Le Fever’s son is deeply moved by Toby’s kindness, but it is too late: Le Fever is already... (full context)
Book 6: Chapters 11-15
Truth, Fiction, and Storytelling  Theme Icon
Language and Comprehension Theme Icon
Travel, Space, and Time Theme Icon
...to conclude Le Fever’s story in the next two chapters. Toby attends the funeral with Le Fever’s son , where Yorick reads a sermon. Tristram is able to deduce this fact from the... (full context)
Science, Technology, and the Enlightenment Theme Icon
...regimental coat and sword. Toby gives the former to Trim and saves the latter for Le Fever’s son . He gives Le Fever’s son a rudimentary education before sending him to a boarding... (full context)
Truth, Fiction, and Storytelling  Theme Icon
Travel, Space, and Time Theme Icon
Chapter 13. Le Fever’s son participates in a victorious battle against the Turks at Belgrade, but then he encounters a... (full context)