CHARACTER OF CAPTAIN HADDOCK IN TINTIN IN TIBET
Written by Sourav Das
Subscribe my YouTube channel Sourav Omnibus for English literature
Captain Haddock is a fictional character in The Adventures of Tintin, the comic series by Belgian cartoonist Herge. He is one of Tintin’s best friend, seafaring pipe-smoking Merchant Marine Captain. He first appears on page 4 of the specially created weekly supplement, ‘Le Soir Jeunesse’, on January 9, 1941. We are always keen to learn the age of a character but Haddock’s character is of course fictitious and his creator remains silent about his age. Haddock was a seafaring captain and the archetypal sailor, depicted with a hot temper and capable of infuriating actions. He sailed for over twenty years.
Tintin in Tibet (1960) is the twentieth adventure of Tintin. In Tintin in Tibet Captain Hoddock is one of the most important character after Tintin. He is a middle aged person. His full name is Captain Archibald Haddock. Amongst the essential, there are Tintin, his pet Snowy and his mast loyal but temperamentally vulnerable friend Archibald Haddock.
In this adventures, Herge has deliberately subsided the dipsomaniac misdemeanors bad whims of this middle aged, short-tempered sailor and has given us, the readers and critics, to explore his humane and urbane side as profoundly as possible. It is very interesting to know that as Herge was considering names for his new character, he asked his wife, Germaine, what she had cooked for dinner. She told him, “a sad English fish –Haddock .” (Herge’s Tintin in Tibet, (ed) Sirshendu Bhaumik & Swagata Saha , Ababil Books , 'Tintin in Tibet a companion'. Kolkata, 2019.) Herge thought this was a perfect name for Tintin’s new mariner friend, and so captain Haddock was born. Herge also known as , Georges Remi, is very selective in his incorporation of characters in his book .
Captain Haddock did not exist in the first eight adventures of Tintin. It was the ninth book The Crab with the Golden Claws, the melancholy, dipsomaniac stature of the Captain first appeared. His appearance increased the popularity of the series and help his young friend Tintin in his worldwide adventures. Through the successive stories, Captain has gained maturity, both physical and psychological, along with his creator. In an interview given to Numa Sadoul in 1971, Herge has admitted, “I can see now that Tintin was sort of a projection of myself – just like all the other character, because they are all part of me.”( Tintin: The complete companion, M. Fear,London, 2001)
Haddock’s fuel is whiskey; the Captain is dependent on tobacco and alcohol his existence is supplemented by immense intoxicator. But in Tintin in Tibet he is no longer alcohol - addicted, depressed soul who loses himself so often and acts in a grotesque way, he is now a mature retired sailor, who lives a sedentary life at his home, Marlinspike Hall and occasionally goes to trips to spend holidays along with his friend Tintin and prof. Calculus. The Alpine holiday depicted in the beginning of this adventure is not an exception. They are now at Hotel des Sommet in verges. Though the Captain does not take part in the mountaineering endeavors of Tintin and Snowy. He vehemently expresses that mountains “should be abolished”( Tintin in Tibet, page 1) but still admits that he does not mind mountains scenery.
Captain plays a very important role as an interlocutor because it is he who I forms Tintin and the readers about the tragic accident for the first time and therefore ignites the fire-spark. Very contrary to this chess player self, Captain does have a calculative mind and he follows, most of the times, his instinctive urge. The traditional parameter is reversed here as Tintin becomes overtly emotional and sensitive and Haddock balances the equilibrium by poising a wiser self.
Instead of bitterly reprimanding Tintin for his foolish behavior, he advises him to go to bed and take rest. As sensible father-figure, he guides the young boy, Tintin. On the next morning, it is again through him that Tintin receives Chang's letter from Hong Kong and realizes the sad catastrophe of his poor friend. But Tintin believes that Chang is still alive. However Haddock enrages at last and declares that he is not going to follow Tintin's footsteps this time: “Go to Timbuctoo, go to Vladivostok for all I care! But you'll be on your own, remember, I'm not coming and that's flat! And when I say no, I mean no.” ( Tintin in Tibet, Page 6.) But right after delivering this speech full of exclamations, in the very next panel we discover him with Tintin at the airport of New Delhi. This moment in the book enhances the reader's respect for the Captain.
Moreover, he is a roaming dictionary of bombastic words and whatever he gets angry with someone or something he fires out those furious syllable at the top of his voice. The most commonly used words used by Haddock in this book are “Billions of blue blistering barnacles!”( page 9), “Ten thousand thundering typhoons”( page 5). For the Yeti he has spent the most of his special vocabulary – “The Abominable snowman”(Page 25), “Cro- Magnon”(page 25) “ Dipsomaniac” ( page 26) “Odd – toe ungulate”( page 26),” Macrocephalus Baboon!”( page 26), “ Phyllixera!”(page 26), “ Cannibal!”( page 35), “Troglodyte”( page 26) etc.
Even captain Haddock strongly sarcasm about Indian tradition is exemplified in his comment about the cow in the market of Delhi that was sitting in the middle of a road blocking it completely, “….I say, can't someone Munda old girl along? We're in rather a hurry…..”( Tintin in Tibet, page 7)
The captain dear grades all the superstitious theories of Nepal, be it about chorten, the reservoir of the essays of lamas, or be it about the Yeti. He makes fun about them. At one point, when Tharkey leaves Tintin in fear of Yeti, the captain also attempts to join him saying, “ I don’t want to leave my bones in this benighted country.” ( Tintin in Tibet, page 38)
Captain Haddock is a shadow of Tintin in this adventure of rescuing Chang. He threatens to leave Tintin angrily again and again but he never does so. Moreover, to save Tintin's live, he attempts to sacrifice his own life. His dedication to Tintin is evident in a simple uttering that he says to Tintin after reaching the village of Charahbung following after Tintin, “Er….. you know, since I am here I think I may as well go a little of the way with you……” ( Tintin in Tibet, page 53) We cannot forget the last desperate attempt by captain to save Tintin when he find the Yeti entering the cave of “The horn of the yak”(Tintin in Tibet, page 22) When Tintin has already entered and captain has failed do alert Tintin well in advance. He recovers from his initial perplexity; he decides to attack, “Action stations! Full steam ahead! Chang!” (Tintin in Tibet, page 57).
To Sum up, it may be said that in spite of his occasional whimsical attitude, his angry yelling, innovative slangs, the figure of the captain Haddock stands apart in the story. He shines as a true and honest friend of Tintin.
Disclaimer: This is written by Sourav Das (C.U.) from Howrah, West Bengal. Subscribe my YouTube channel Sourav Omnibus for English literature , English Grammar and English Book review.
My channel Link -
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMukNYVP6IfHE50giaEhPZQ
For another videos and post contact me through e-mail - 29dassourav@gmail.com
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Herge, Tintin in Tibet, (ed) Sirshendu Bhaumik & Swagata Saha, , 'Tintin in Tibet: A companion, Ababil Books, Kolkata, 2019
2. Herge, Tintin in Tibet, Tintin.Cooper.(ed) L. L. and Turner M., Great Britain, 1962.
3. https://hal.sorbonne-universite.fr/hal-01444927,Captain Haddock’s health issues in the adventures of Tintin, 2017.
4. Tintin in Tibet (http://www.tintinologist.org/guides/books/20tibet.html) at Tintinologist.org
5. Herge, Tintin in Tibet, http://us.tintin.com/adventures/tintin-in-tibet/
6. Herge, Tintin in Tibet, Castillo M. Tintin and colleagues go to the doctor. Am J Neuroradiol 2011; 32: 1975-6
7. Herge, Tintin in Tibet, Algoud A. Le Haddock illustre. Edition revue et corrigee. Casterman. 2013. 93 pages.
8. Herge, Tintin in Tibet,addictive substances in mariners. Int Marit Health. 2014; 65: 199-204.
9. Herge, Tintin in Tibet, issues affecting the intrepid globetrotter. Presse Med 2015; 44(6 Pt 1):e203-10.
10. Herge, Tintin in Tibet, Apostolidès, Jean-Marie . The Metamorphoses of Tintin, or Tintin for Adults. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2010.
11. Herge, Tintin in Tibet,Farr, Michael , Tintin: The Complete Companion. London: John Murray, 2001
12. Lofficier, Jean-Marc and Lofficier, Randy, The Pocket Essential Tintin. Harpenden, Hertfordshire: Pocket Essentials, 2002
13. Herge, Tintin in Tibet, Peeters, Benoit, Tintin and the World of Herge. London: Methuen Children's Books, 1989
14. WWW.Youtube.com/Souravomnibus
Captain Haddock is a fictional character in The Adventures of Tintin, the comic series by Belgian cartoonist Herge. He is one of Tintin’s best friend, seafaring pipe-smoking Merchant Marine Captain. He first appears on page 4 of the specially created weekly supplement, ‘Le Soir Jeunesse’, on January 9, 1941. We are always keen to learn the age of a character but Haddock’s character is of course fictitious and his creator remains silent about his age. Haddock was a seafaring captain and the archetypal sailor, depicted with a hot temper and capable of infuriating actions. He sailed for over twenty years.
Tintin in Tibet (1960) is the twentieth adventure of Tintin. In Tintin in Tibet Captain Hoddock is one of the most important character after Tintin. He is a middle aged person. His full name is Captain Archibald Haddock. Amongst the essential, there are Tintin, his pet Snowy and his mast loyal but temperamentally vulnerable friend Archibald Haddock.
In this adventures, Herge has deliberately subsided the dipsomaniac misdemeanors bad whims of this middle aged, short-tempered sailor and has given us, the readers and critics, to explore his humane and urbane side as profoundly as possible. It is very interesting to know that as Herge was considering names for his new character, he asked his wife, Germaine, what she had cooked for dinner. She told him, “a sad English fish –Haddock .” (Herge’s Tintin in Tibet, (ed) Sirshendu Bhaumik & Swagata Saha , Ababil Books , 'Tintin in Tibet a companion'. Kolkata, 2019.) Herge thought this was a perfect name for Tintin’s new mariner friend, and so captain Haddock was born. Herge also known as , Georges Remi, is very selective in his incorporation of characters in his book .
Captain Haddock did not exist in the first eight adventures of Tintin. It was the ninth book The Crab with the Golden Claws, the melancholy, dipsomaniac stature of the Captain first appeared. His appearance increased the popularity of the series and help his young friend Tintin in his worldwide adventures. Through the successive stories, Captain has gained maturity, both physical and psychological, along with his creator. In an interview given to Numa Sadoul in 1971, Herge has admitted, “I can see now that Tintin was sort of a projection of myself – just like all the other character, because they are all part of me.”( Tintin: The complete companion, M. Fear,London, 2001)
Haddock’s fuel is whiskey; the Captain is dependent on tobacco and alcohol his existence is supplemented by immense intoxicator. But in Tintin in Tibet he is no longer alcohol - addicted, depressed soul who loses himself so often and acts in a grotesque way, he is now a mature retired sailor, who lives a sedentary life at his home, Marlinspike Hall and occasionally goes to trips to spend holidays along with his friend Tintin and prof. Calculus. The Alpine holiday depicted in the beginning of this adventure is not an exception. They are now at Hotel des Sommet in verges. Though the Captain does not take part in the mountaineering endeavors of Tintin and Snowy. He vehemently expresses that mountains “should be abolished”( Tintin in Tibet, page 1) but still admits that he does not mind mountains scenery.
Captain plays a very important role as an interlocutor because it is he who I forms Tintin and the readers about the tragic accident for the first time and therefore ignites the fire-spark. Very contrary to this chess player self, Captain does have a calculative mind and he follows, most of the times, his instinctive urge. The traditional parameter is reversed here as Tintin becomes overtly emotional and sensitive and Haddock balances the equilibrium by poising a wiser self.
Instead of bitterly reprimanding Tintin for his foolish behavior, he advises him to go to bed and take rest. As sensible father-figure, he guides the young boy, Tintin. On the next morning, it is again through him that Tintin receives Chang's letter from Hong Kong and realizes the sad catastrophe of his poor friend. But Tintin believes that Chang is still alive. However Haddock enrages at last and declares that he is not going to follow Tintin's footsteps this time: “Go to Timbuctoo, go to Vladivostok for all I care! But you'll be on your own, remember, I'm not coming and that's flat! And when I say no, I mean no.” ( Tintin in Tibet, Page 6.) But right after delivering this speech full of exclamations, in the very next panel we discover him with Tintin at the airport of New Delhi. This moment in the book enhances the reader's respect for the Captain.
Moreover, he is a roaming dictionary of bombastic words and whatever he gets angry with someone or something he fires out those furious syllable at the top of his voice. The most commonly used words used by Haddock in this book are “Billions of blue blistering barnacles!”( page 9), “Ten thousand thundering typhoons”( page 5). For the Yeti he has spent the most of his special vocabulary – “The Abominable snowman”(Page 25), “Cro- Magnon”(page 25) “ Dipsomaniac” ( page 26) “Odd – toe ungulate”( page 26),” Macrocephalus Baboon!”( page 26), “ Phyllixera!”(page 26), “ Cannibal!”( page 35), “Troglodyte”( page 26) etc.
Even captain Haddock strongly sarcasm about Indian tradition is exemplified in his comment about the cow in the market of Delhi that was sitting in the middle of a road blocking it completely, “….I say, can't someone Munda old girl along? We're in rather a hurry…..”( Tintin in Tibet, page 7)
The captain dear grades all the superstitious theories of Nepal, be it about chorten, the reservoir of the essays of lamas, or be it about the Yeti. He makes fun about them. At one point, when Tharkey leaves Tintin in fear of Yeti, the captain also attempts to join him saying, “ I don’t want to leave my bones in this benighted country.” ( Tintin in Tibet, page 38)
Captain Haddock is a shadow of Tintin in this adventure of rescuing Chang. He threatens to leave Tintin angrily again and again but he never does so. Moreover, to save Tintin's live, he attempts to sacrifice his own life. His dedication to Tintin is evident in a simple uttering that he says to Tintin after reaching the village of Charahbung following after Tintin, “Er….. you know, since I am here I think I may as well go a little of the way with you……” ( Tintin in Tibet, page 53) We cannot forget the last desperate attempt by captain to save Tintin when he find the Yeti entering the cave of “The horn of the yak”(Tintin in Tibet, page 22) When Tintin has already entered and captain has failed do alert Tintin well in advance. He recovers from his initial perplexity; he decides to attack, “Action stations! Full steam ahead! Chang!” (Tintin in Tibet, page 57).
To Sum up, it may be said that in spite of his occasional whimsical attitude, his angry yelling, innovative slangs, the figure of the captain Haddock stands apart in the story. He shines as a true and honest friend of Tintin.
Disclaimer: This is written by Sourav Das (C.U.) from Howrah, West Bengal. Subscribe my YouTube channel Sourav Omnibus for English literature , English Grammar and English Book review.
My channel Link -
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMukNYVP6IfHE50giaEhPZQ
For another videos and post contact me through e-mail - 29dassourav@gmail.com
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Herge, Tintin in Tibet, (ed) Sirshendu Bhaumik & Swagata Saha, , 'Tintin in Tibet: A companion, Ababil Books, Kolkata, 2019
2. Herge, Tintin in Tibet, Tintin.Cooper.(ed) L. L. and Turner M., Great Britain, 1962.
3. https://hal.sorbonne-universite.fr/hal-01444927,Captain Haddock’s health issues in the adventures of Tintin, 2017.
4. Tintin in Tibet (http://www.tintinologist.org/guides/books/20tibet.html) at Tintinologist.org
5. Herge, Tintin in Tibet, http://us.tintin.com/adventures/tintin-in-tibet/
6. Herge, Tintin in Tibet, Castillo M. Tintin and colleagues go to the doctor. Am J Neuroradiol 2011; 32: 1975-6
7. Herge, Tintin in Tibet, Algoud A. Le Haddock illustre. Edition revue et corrigee. Casterman. 2013. 93 pages.
8. Herge, Tintin in Tibet,addictive substances in mariners. Int Marit Health. 2014; 65: 199-204.
9. Herge, Tintin in Tibet, issues affecting the intrepid globetrotter. Presse Med 2015; 44(6 Pt 1):e203-10.
10. Herge, Tintin in Tibet, Apostolidès, Jean-Marie . The Metamorphoses of Tintin, or Tintin for Adults. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2010.
11. Herge, Tintin in Tibet,Farr, Michael , Tintin: The Complete Companion. London: John Murray, 2001
12. Lofficier, Jean-Marc and Lofficier, Randy, The Pocket Essential Tintin. Harpenden, Hertfordshire: Pocket Essentials, 2002
13. Herge, Tintin in Tibet, Peeters, Benoit, Tintin and the World of Herge. London: Methuen Children's Books, 1989
14. WWW.Youtube.com/Souravomnibus
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